To accommodate our Sensory Friendly Tours on Saturday 1st, Sunday 2nd, Sunday 9th & Sunday 16th April
general admission to the Castle will exceptionally start at 10am on these dates.
Welcome to Kilkenny Castle and Parklands
Few buildings in Ireland can boast a longer history of continuous occupation than Kilkenny Castle. Founded soon after the Norman conquest of Ireland, the Castle has been rebuilt, extended and adapted to suit changing circumstances and uses over a period of 800 years.
Today, Kilkenny Castle is open to visitors all year round and is largely a Victorian remodelling of the thirteenth century defensive Castle. Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to see this grand country house and walk through its fifty acres of rolling parkland with mature trees and an abundance of wildlife. Other features include a formal terraced rose garden, woodlands and a man-made lake, which were added in the nineteenth century. There is also a tearoom, playground and several orienteering trails for visitors to enjoy.
Please note that Free admission on the first Wednesday of each month is no longer applicable at Kilkenny Castle. Click here for the full list of participating sites.
What’s On
Check out the full calendar of events here.
The Ros Tapestry exhibition has drawn in thread the story of the Normans and their arrival in the Southeast of Ireland and the consequent development of the dynamic port of Ros is depicted in a series of fifteen large striking embroidered panels. From the initiation of a Celtic King to Hiberno-Norman commerce, the cultural legacy of Leinster is immortalised in stitches. The Ros Tapestry project is the brainchild of Rev. Paul Mooney, St Mary’s Church, New Ross, inspired by the famous Bayeux Tapestry in France, who conceived the idea of creating a series of tapestries to commemorate the Norman history of New Ross and South East Ireland. The first tapestry was completed in 2002 and to date 14 of the 15 tapestries are finished. The final one is being stitched in Kilkenny and is nearing completion. Volunteers throughout the country have done all the stitching, with well over 150 stitchers contributing, working both at home and in local venues. Each tapestry is embroidered on to Jacobean linen twill fabric with woollen thread using a multitude of different stitches, such as ‘Long and Short’, ‘French knots’ and ‘Bullion knots’. It takes approximately 1 hour to stitch 1 square inch and can take anything from 3 to 7 years to complete a panel.
The exhibition is part of the self-guided visit of Kilkenny Castle. Admission is free but tickets must be booked in advance on https://kilkenny.admit-one.eu/?p=calendar&ev=SELFGUIDED
To mark World Autism Awareness Day, we are offering 4 Sensory Friendly Tours this Month at 9.15am on Saturday 1st, Sunday 2nd, Sunday 9th & Sunday 16th April
This will be a unique opportunity for people with sensory needs and their family to view our Victorian period rooms in a quiet environment.
This event is free of charge but advance booking is required. Email us at bookingskilkennycastle.ie
Parts of the Castle may not be suitable for people with limited mobility but ground floor rooms fully accessible.
#WorldAutismAwarenessDay #NeuroDiversity #NeuroInclusive #OPW #HeritageIreland #VisitKilkenny #LoveKilkenny #IrelandAncientEast
This Easter join one of our guides for a Free Child Friendly Guided Tour of Kilkenny Castle and view our beautiful Period rooms in a more relax environment.
These Guided tours are aimed at school going aged children and their families
2 adults maximum per child
Parts of the Castle may not be suitable for people with limited mobility but ground floor rooms fully accessible.
Booking required, limited availability. Contact us at kilkennyCastleinfo@opw.ie to book your place.
This Easter join one of our guides for a Free Child Friendly Guided Tour of Kilkenny Castle and view our beautiful Period rooms in a more relax environment.
These Guided tours are aimed at school going aged children and their families
2 adults maximum per child
Parts of the Castle may not be suitable for people with limited mobility but ground floor rooms fully accessible.
Booking required, limited availability. Contact us at kilkennyCastleinfo@opw.ie to book your place.
The Castle Blog
Read the latest posts below, and click through to the full Castle Blog for all news updates.
The Duke Of Ormond – TY Project
Young James Butler was born on the 19th of October 1610, in England, with his parents being Thomas and Elizabeth Butler. His father drowned off Skerries in 1619, when James was just nine years old, which made him the viscount Thurles. His mother took him back to...
Some Connections between Norman families and the origins of the Butler family.
With the Ormonde-Butler family, there is reliable documented evidence from the 12th Century up to the present day. It is remarkable to have such an extant record of one single family, albeit with omissions about the careers and lives of some of the family. One famous...
The Month of January and Kilkenny Castle.
Located in the Main Hall of Kilkenny Castle today, there are a pair of beautifully decorated bronze urns originally designed for a garden. The pair are very fine copies of two bronze urns designed in the Louis XIV style by Claude Ballin for Versailles. The...