Please note:
Kilkenny Castle Park will close at the earlier time of 7.30pm from Wednesday 3rd of August to Saturday 13th August 2022 ( excluding Sunday 7th August)
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Please note that Free admission on the first Wednesday of each month is no longer applicable at Kilkenny Castle.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.
Kilkenny Castle is one of 70 OPW sites with visitor services. Click here to find out more about Ireland’s Heritage Sites.
Read the latest Heritage Ireland Ezine
What’s On
Check out the full calendar of events here.
The Castle Blog
Read the latest posts below, and click through to the full Castle Blog for all news updates.
The Theatre and the Dukes of Ormonde
The Theatre and the Dukes of Ormonde Throughout his long and eventful life James Butler (1610 -1688), First Duke of Ormond showed a keen interest in the theatre. At a young age while in London, his biographer Thomas Carte (1686 – 1754) recalled that his family were in...
Drunkenness, debauchery, and devil worship – Ireland’s Hellfire clubs
Drunkenness, debauchery, and devil worship – Ireland’s Hellfire clubs Despite its infamy, the organisation known as the Hellfire Club was relatively short-lived in Ireland. The group was founded in Ireland in 1737 and effectively disbanded by the early 1740s. However,...
Bullets on the Battlements, the 1922 attack on Kilkenny Castle
Bullets on the Battlements, the 1922 attack on Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle has a rich and varied history and one of the most dramatic events occurred relatively recently when possession of the castle was contested by Irish troops who were split by their support or...