Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [185]
BLACK ABBEY
This Dominican abbey (Abbey St; open daily for Mass) was founded in 1225 by William Marshall and takes its name from the monks’ black habits. In 1543, six years after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, it was turned into a courthouse. Following Cromwell’s visit in 1650, it remained a roofless ruin until restoration in 1866. Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but remnants of more ancient archways are still evident within the newer stonework. Look for the 13th-century coffins near the entrance.
NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY & KILKENNY DESIGN CENTRE
Contemporary Irish crafts are showcased at this imaginative gallery ( 056-776 1804; www.ccoi.ie; Castle Yard; admission free; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, plus 11am-6pm Sun Apr-Dec) in the former castle stables that also house the Kilkenny Design Centre. Ceramics dominate, but exhibits often feature furniture, jewellery and weaving from the members of the Crafts Council of Ireland. There are regular classes in pottery and jewellery making.
Behind the complex, look for the walkway that extends into the beautiful gardens of Butler House, whose most unusual feature is a fountain constructed from remnants of the British-built Nelson Column, blown up by nationalists in Dublin around a century ago.
OTHER SIGHTS
The Tholsel (City Hall) on High St was built in 1761 on the spot where Dame Alice Kyteler’s maid, Petronella, was burned at the stake in 1324.
With its arched entry and stone steps, Butter Slip, a narrow and dark walkway connecting High St with St Kieran’s St (previously called Low Lane) is the most picturesque of Kilkenny’s many narrow medieval corridors. It was built in 1616 and once was lined with the stalls of butter vendors.
Black Freren Gate on Abbey St is the only gate from the old Norman city walls still standing, albeit with the help of metal bracing to ensure the safety of those who pass through. Crumbling sections of the old walls remain throughout the central city.
On the corner of Parliament St and the road leading down to Bateman’s Quay, the Confederation Hall monument (really just a fragment) beside the Bank of Ireland marks the site where the national Parliament met from 1642 to 1649. Nearby is the ramshackle Grace’s Castle, originally built in 1210, but lost to the family and converted into a prison in 1568, and then in 1794 into a courthouse, which it remains today. Rebels from the 1798 Rising were executed here.
The 19th-century St Mary’s Cathedral is visible from most parts of town. A plaque at the entrance notes: ‘The construction of the cathedral began in 1843 and continued during the Famine years, the years of emigration, coffin ships, starvation, and even despair because of the many thousands of our people who died of hunger and disease…’, before going on to list yet more tribulations.
Across the river stand the ruins of St John’s Priory, which was founded in 1200 and was noted for its many beautiful windows until Cromwell’s visit. Nearby Kilkenny College, on John St, dates from 1666. Its students included Jonathan Swift and the philosopher George Berkeley, but it now houses Kilkenny’s county hall.
Tours
Tynan Tours ( 087 265 1745; adult/student €6/5.50; 2 to 4 tours daily mid-Mar–Oct) conducts entertaining, informative hour-long walking tours that meander Kilkenny’s narrow lanes, steps and pedestrian passageways.
Festivals & Events
Kilkenny hosts several world-class events throughout the year that attract revellers in the thousands.
Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots ( 056-779 0057; www.kilkennyroots.com; early May) Over 30 pubs and other venues participate in hosting Ireland’s biggest music festival, with an emphasis on country and ‘old-timey’ American roots music.
Cat Laughs Comedy Festival ( 056-776 3416; www.thecatlaughs.com; late May-early Jun) Acclaimed gathering of world-class comedians in Kilkenny’s hotels and pubs.
Kilkenny Arts Festival ( 056-775 2175; www.kilkennyarts.ie; mid-Aug) The city comes alive with theatre, cinema, music, literature, visual