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County Kilkenny

Cill Chainnigh

Leinster · 251 places · 128 photos · 2 videos

Hero photo: Trounce · CC BY-SA 2.5

About County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny (Irish: Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the county. At the 2022 census the population of the county was 103,685. The county was based on the historic Gaelic kingdom of Ossory (Osraighe), which was coterminous with the Diocese of Ossory.

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Ruins & Archaeological Sites (87) Castles (82) Family Attractions & Zoos (20) Museums & Galleries (12) Historic Houses & Forts (11) Mountains & National Parks (11) Megalithic Sites (9) Round Towers & High Crosses (9) Abbeys & Monasteries (3) Sea Cliffs & Rock Formations (3) Scenic Viewpoints (2) Waterfalls (2)

Top 10 must-sees in Kilkenny

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Gorteens Castle (ruins) — photo by Blimey74 (talk) (Uploads) / #1
Castle County Kilkenny

Gorteens Castle (ruins)

Gorteens Castle is a ruined castle situated on private land in south-east County Kilkenny near the village of Slieverue close to Waterford city. It is in the historic parish of Rathpatrick in the south-east of the Barony of Ida. Along with the ruins of Rathpatrick church and another church, it is one of several ruins in Rathpatrick Parish. The ruin consists of a gatehouse that may have belonged to a larger structure. Gorteens comes from the Irish goirtín or na goirtínidhe which means "little field" or "little garden". Archaeological excavations near the castle in 1993 indicated that the site was used between the 16th and 18th centuries, with further excavations in 2003 identifying additional castle walls and outbuildings.

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Kilkenny Castle — photo by No machine-readable author provided. Tolivero~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). #2
Castle County Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle (Irish: Caisleán Chill Chainnigh pronounced [ˈkaʃlʲaːnˠ ˈçiːl̠ʲ ˈxan̠ʲəɟ]) is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland, built in 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, it would have formed an important element of the town's defences with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade. In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde, sold the castle for £50 to the Castle Restoration Committee for the people of Kilkenny. The castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works, and the gardens and parkland are open to the public. The Parade Tower is a conference venue. Since 2002, ceremonies for conferring awards and degrees on the graduates of the Kilkenny Campus of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, have been held at the castle.

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28
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Kilbline Castle — photo by Paddy O'Shea #4
Castle County Kilkenny

Kilbline Castle

Kilbline Castle is a fortified 16th century tower house in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is set on the Kilbline Estate in the parish of Tullaherin, within the historical barony Gowran, approximately 1 mile southeast of Bennettsbridge. It is recorded as a protected (listed) structure by Kilkenny County Council. The tower house was originally owned by the Comerford family. It was forfeit to the crown by Thomas Comerford in 1566 "on his attainder for rebellion". By the early 18th century, the castle was in the possession of the Candler family, ancestors of Coca-Cola founder Asa Griggs Candler. It was later occupied by members of the Ryan family "for several generations", before passing to the Lannon/Lennon family in 1969. It remains in private ownership. Attached to the castle is a later two-story house, with a larger and more modern house in the grounds. It is roofed, with a low, two-storey, three-bay house with narrow windows and simple doorcase added. In the tower is a chimney-piece dated 1580 and a panelled room. Beside the house are early brick walls with blank arches.

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Clomantagh Tower House — photo by dougf #5
Castle County Kilkenny

Clomantagh Tower House

Clomantagh Castle is a 15th-century tower house located near Freshford, County Kilkenny, in Ireland. Originally constructed in the 1430s, additional buildings and outbuildings were added in the subsequent centuries - including a connected 19th century farmhouse. Carvings on the castle's walls include a Sheela na gig relief (a symbolic pagan nude). Situated on lands owned by the Earls of Ormond, on the death of Pierce 'Ruadh' Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond in 1539, the castle was inherited by his son, Richard Butler, 1st Viscount Mountgarret. It remained in the hands of the Butlers of Mountgarret through the 16th and 17th centuries, until its confiscation following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The castle was subject to renovations in the late 20th century (which received an award from the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland), and is now managed as a holiday rental property by the Irish Landmark Trust.

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Dunmore Caves — photo by Jan-Philipp Litza #6
Cave County Kilkenny

Dunmore Caves

Dunmore Cave (from Irish Dún Mór 'great fort') is a limestone solutional cave in Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is formed in Lower Carboniferous (Viséan) limestone of the Clogrenan Formation. It is a show cave open to the public, particularly well known for its rich archaeological discoveries and for being the site of a Viking massacre in 928.

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Duiske Abbey — photo by Andreas F. Borchert #8
Church County Kilkenny

Duiske Abbey

Duiske Abbey National Monument, also known as Graiguenamanagh Abbey, is a 13th-century Cistercian monastery situated in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny in Ireland. Duiske Abbey was founded by William Marshal in 1207 and is one of the first, largest and perhaps the finest of the thirty-four medieval Cistercian monasteries in Ireland. The Abbey is the parish church of Graiguenamanagh town and beautifully dominates the town centre. The Abbey is located in the valley of the river Barrow, on a site between the main river and the Duiske tributary. The abbey derives its name from the Douskey River Irish: An Dubhuisce, meaning 'Black Water'.

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Castle Corluddy Castle
#9
Castle County Kilkenny

Corluddy Castle

Corluddy Castle is a ruined Norman-era tower house close to the village of Carrigeen in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is historically associated with the Grant family of the Barony of Iverk. In The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, published by the priest and historian William Carrigan in 1905, Corluddy Castle is described as "strongly built" but "roofless". Carrigan describes the location of the 5-story tower house, which was built "not on level ground, but on the sloping side of a hill", as "very unusual". Writing in 1985, Owen O'Kelly states that the ruined castle was "in a good state of preservation, the bottom arch showing traces of osier-rod work. It is on an open hillside east of the village and belonged to the Grants until confiscated during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Peter Grant, chief of the family, died 1510 and is buried in St. Canice's Cathedral".

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Brandon Hill — photo by Sarah777 #10
Peak County Kilkenny

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill (Irish: Cnoc Bhréanail) is the highest mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland, with an elevation of 515 m (1,690 ft) and prominence at 448 m (1,470 ft). The South Leinster Way, a long-distance trail, meandering through the Barrow Valley and traverses Brandon Hill. The village of Graiguenamanagh and River Barrow are at the base of the hill. It is classified as a county high point, an Arderin, a Myrddyn Dewey, and a Marilyn.

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Videos from Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle, Ireland

Kilkenny Castle, Ireland

This is Ireland

Kilkenny Castle →
AGHAVILLER CHURCH AND ROUND TOWER.Newmarket, Co.Kilkenny.Ireland. Dating back to 12th Century.🇮🇪

AGHAVILLER CHURCH AND ROUND TOWER.Newmarket, Co.Kilkenny.Ireland. Dating back to 12th Century.🇮🇪

All Sorts ( Anything and Everything)

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All places in Kilkenny

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Gorteens Castle (ruins) — photo by Blimey74 (talk) (Uploads) /
CastleKilkenny

Gorteens Castle (ruins)

Gorteens Castle is a ruined castle situated on private land in south-east County Kilkenny near the village of Slieverue close to Waterford city. It is in the historic parish of Rathpatrick in the south-east of the Barony of Ida. Along with the ruins of Rathpatrick church and another church, it is one of several ruins in Rathpatrick Parish. The ruin consists of a gatehouse that may have belonged to a larger structure. Gorteens comes from the Irish goirtín or na goirtínidhe which means "little field" or "little garden". Archaeological excavations near the castle in 1993 indicated that the site was used between the 16th and 18th centuries, with further excavations in 2003 identifying additional castle walls and outbuildings.

Kilkenny Castle — photo by No machine-readable author provided. Tolivero~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims).▶ Video
CastleKilkenny

Kilkenny Castle

Kilkenny Castle (Irish: Caisleán Chill Chainnigh pronounced [ˈkaʃlʲaːnˠ ˈçiːl̠ʲ ˈxan̠ʲəɟ]) is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland, built in 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, it would have formed an important element of the town's defences with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade. In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde, sold the castle for £50 to the Castle Restoration Committee for the people of Kilkenny. The castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works, and the gardens and parkland are open to the public. The Parade Tower is a conference venue. Since 2002, ceremonies for conferring awards and degrees on the graduates of the Kilkenny Campus of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, have been held at the castle.

Mount Alto — photo by kevin higgins
PeakKilkenny

Mount Alto

Mount Alto (Irish: Cnoc Ruairí, meaning 'Rory's hill') is a mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Kilbline Castle — photo by Paddy O'Shea
CastleKilkenny

Kilbline Castle

Kilbline Castle is a fortified 16th century tower house in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is set on the Kilbline Estate in the parish of Tullaherin, within the historical barony Gowran, approximately 1 mile southeast of Bennettsbridge. It is recorded as a protected (listed) structure by Kilkenny County Council. The tower house was originally owned by the Comerford family. It was forfeit to the crown by Thomas Comerford in 1566 "on his attainder for rebellion". By the early 18th century, the castle was in the possession of the Candler family, ancestors of Coca-Cola founder Asa Griggs Candler. It was later occupied by members of the Ryan family "for several generations", before passing to the Lannon/Lennon family in 1969. It remains in private ownership. Attached to the castle is a later two-story house, with a larger and more modern house in the grounds. It is roofed, with a low, two-storey, three-bay house with narrow windows and simple doorcase added. In the tower is a chimney-piece dated 1580 and a panelled room. Beside the house are early brick walls with blank arches.

Clomantagh Tower House — photo by dougf
CastleKilkenny

Clomantagh Tower House

Clomantagh Castle is a 15th-century tower house located near Freshford, County Kilkenny, in Ireland. Originally constructed in the 1430s, additional buildings and outbuildings were added in the subsequent centuries - including a connected 19th century farmhouse. Carvings on the castle's walls include a Sheela na gig relief (a symbolic pagan nude). Situated on lands owned by the Earls of Ormond, on the death of Pierce 'Ruadh' Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond in 1539, the castle was inherited by his son, Richard Butler, 1st Viscount Mountgarret. It remained in the hands of the Butlers of Mountgarret through the 16th and 17th centuries, until its confiscation following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The castle was subject to renovations in the late 20th century (which received an award from the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland), and is now managed as a holiday rental property by the Irish Landmark Trust.

Dunmore Caves — photo by Jan-Philipp Litza
CaveKilkenny

Dunmore Caves

Dunmore Cave (from Irish Dún Mór 'great fort') is a limestone solutional cave in Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is formed in Lower Carboniferous (Viséan) limestone of the Clogrenan Formation. It is a show cave open to the public, particularly well known for its rich archaeological discoveries and for being the site of a Viking massacre in 928.

Clara Castle — photo by liam murphy
CastleKilkenny

Clara Castle

Clara Castle is a tower house (caiseal) located in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

CastleCorluddy Castle
CastleKilkenny

Corluddy Castle

Corluddy Castle is a ruined Norman-era tower house close to the village of Carrigeen in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is historically associated with the Grant family of the Barony of Iverk. In The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory, published by the priest and historian William Carrigan in 1905, Corluddy Castle is described as "strongly built" but "roofless". Carrigan describes the location of the 5-story tower house, which was built "not on level ground, but on the sloping side of a hill", as "very unusual". Writing in 1985, Owen O'Kelly states that the ruined castle was "in a good state of preservation, the bottom arch showing traces of osier-rod work. It is on an open hillside east of the village and belonged to the Grants until confiscated during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Peter Grant, chief of the family, died 1510 and is buried in St. Canice's Cathedral".

Duiske Abbey — photo by Andreas F. Borchert
ChurchKilkenny

Duiske Abbey

Duiske Abbey National Monument, also known as Graiguenamanagh Abbey, is a 13th-century Cistercian monastery situated in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny in Ireland. Duiske Abbey was founded by William Marshal in 1207 and is one of the first, largest and perhaps the finest of the thirty-four medieval Cistercian monasteries in Ireland. The Abbey is the parish church of Graiguenamanagh town and beautifully dominates the town centre. The Abbey is located in the valley of the river Barrow, on a site between the main river and the Duiske tributary. The abbey derives its name from the Douskey River Irish: An Dubhuisce, meaning 'Black Water'.

Brandon Hill — photo by Sarah777
PeakKilkenny

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill (Irish: Cnoc Bhréanail) is the highest mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland, with an elevation of 515 m (1,690 ft) and prominence at 448 m (1,470 ft). The South Leinster Way, a long-distance trail, meandering through the Barrow Valley and traverses Brandon Hill. The village of Graiguenamanagh and River Barrow are at the base of the hill. It is classified as a county high point, an Arderin, a Myrddyn Dewey, and a Marilyn.

Foulksrath Castle — photo by User Postdlf on en.wikipedia
CastleKilkenny

Foulksrath Castle

Foulksrath Castle (Irish: Caislean Ratha) is a 14th-century Anglo-Norman tower house located in Jenkinstown in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Kilree High Cross — photo by Harryreid
High CrossKilkenny

Kilree High Cross

Kilree is a former Christian monastery and national monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Rothe House — photo by Berthold Werner
HouseKilkenny

Rothe House

Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594 and 1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconstructed garden with orchard. As a museum, it is accessible to the public. Rothe House is the only remaining example of a complete burgage plot in Ireland, and considered to be nationally significant because of the range of original post-medieval features that survive. The property, an important element of Kilkenny's heritage, is owned by the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and houses some of the society's collection of artefacts relating to Kilkenny City, County and Ireland. The garden to the rear of the house has been reconstructed to reflect a typical 17th-century garden. It features a well dug by Cistercian monks (based in Duiske Abbey in Graiguenamagh) who owned the property before the dissolution of monasteries. The burgage plot on which Rothe House was built survives intact – one of a few in such an unaltered state. Kilkenny's medieval city wall forms part of the curtilage of the Rothe House complex.

GeneralSaint Canice's Cathedral
GeneralKilkenny

Saint Canice's Cathedral

St Canice's Cathedral (Irish: Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, pronounced [ˈaːɾˠd̪ˠˌaɡlˠəʃ n̪ˠiːw ˈkan̠ʲəx]), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a Church of Ireland cathedral in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Ossory, it is now one of six cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Cashel and Ossory.

AbbeyJerpoint Abbey
AbbeyKilkenny

Jerpoint Abbey

Jerpoint Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Sheireapúin) is a ruined Cistercian abbey, founded in the second half of the 12th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located 2.5 km south west of Thomastown on the R448 regional road. There is a visitor centre with an exhibition. It has been declared a national monument and has been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1880. Scholars believe that Domnall Mac Gilla Pátraic (d.1176), the son of Cerball Mac Gilla Pátraic was possibly the founder of Jerpoint Abbey. Jerpoint Abbey may have been in existence since the 1160s but was only formally affiliated to the Cistercian order in 1180. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Jerpoint is notable for its stone carvings, including one at the tomb of Felix Ua Duib Sláin, Bishop of the Diocese of Ossory and Cistercian founder of the abbey. The abbey flourished until the dissolution of the monasteries by the English king Henry VIII. Until c. 1310, Jerpoint housed monks of Irish descent, whereas the Cistercian monastery in Graiguenamanagh housed monks of Norman descent. Jerpoint Abbey gives its name to the civil parish of Jerpoint Abbey or Abbey-Jerpoint in the barony of Knocktopher. It lies near the anciently corporate town of Newtown Jerpoint.

Kells Augustinian Priory — photo by Dave Henderson
Archaeological SiteKilkenny

Kells Augustinian Priory

Kells Priory (Irish: Prióireacht Cheanannais) is one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells in the townland of Rathduff (Madden), about 15 km south of the medieval city of Kilkenny. The priory is a National Monument and is in the guardianship of the Office of Public Works. One of its most notable features is a collection of medieval tower houses spaced at intervals along and within walls which enclose a site of just over 3 acres (12,000 m2). These give the priory the appearance more of a medieval fortress than of a place of worship and from them comes its local name of "Seven Castles". 4 km southeast of the priory on the R697 regional road is Kilree round tower and 9th century High Cross, said to be the burial place of Niall Caille. It was used in the film Barry Lyndon as the location for the English Redcoat encampment. Kells Priory was founded by Geoffrey FitzRobert most probably in 1193. FitzRobert was brother-in-law to Strongbow and the priory succeeded an earlier church that was dedicated to St. Mary, the Blessed Virgin and served as the parish church to nearby Kells village. During its first century and a half, the priory was attacked and burned on three occasions, first by Lord William de Bermingham in 1252, by the Scots army of Edward Bruce on Palm Sunday 1316, and by a second William de Bermingham in 1327. In 1324 the Bishop of Ossory, Richard de Ledrede, paid a lenten visit to the priory. Following an inquisition into a Kilkenny sect of heretics, Alice Kyteler and William Outlawe were ordered to appear before the Bishop to answer charges of witchcraft. Outlawe was supported by Arnold de Poer, Lord of Kells who arrested the Bishop and had him imprisoned in Kilkenny Castle for 17 days. This caused great scandal and on his release, the Bishop successfully prosecuted the heretics. Alice Kyteler fled to England and remained there, Alice Smith also fled, but her maidservant Petronilla de Meath became Ireland's first heretic to be burned at the stake. Dissolution of Kells Priory finally took place in March 1540 and the church and property were surrendered to James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormonde.

Kilmogue Portal Tomb — photo by Sabrina O Brien
Archaeological SiteKilkenny

Kilmogue Portal Tomb

Kilmogue Portal Tomb, also called Leac an Scail, is a dolmen (portal tomb) and National Monument located in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

Knockroe Passage Tomb — photo by Laurel Lodged
MegalithKilkenny

Knockroe Passage Tomb

Knockroe Passage Tomb is a prehistoric site, of the Neolithic period, in the townland of Knockroe in County Kilkenny, Ireland, about 10 km north of Carrick-on-Suir. It is known locally as "The Caiseal". It is National Monument no. 655, managed by the Office of Public Works on behalf of the state.

Smithwick's Brewery Experience — photo by A.-K. D.
GeneralKilkenny

Smithwick's Brewery Experience

Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny (formerly St. Francis Abbey Brewery and Kilkenny Brewery) is a brewery-turned-brewery-tour located on the "medieval mile" in Kilkenny, Ireland. The Smithwick's Experience Kilkenny is the site where Smithwick's was brewed from the 1700s until 2014. Prior to this, the site was owned by Franciscan friars who also brewed beer before they were dissolved during the Reformation in 1537. The site is a visitor centre and brewery tour that covered the location's history, the brand evolution, a bar and tastings, visual effects including holograms, and a gift shop.

St. Francis Abbey — photo by William Carrigan
ChurchKilkenny

St. Francis Abbey

St. Francis Abbey, also called Kilkenny Grey Friary, is a medieval Franciscan abbey and National Monument located in Kilkenny City, Ireland.

CastleBurnchurch Castle
CastleKilkenny

Burnchurch Castle

Burnchurch Castle is a well-preserved 15th century Norman tower house with a round gate tower, located in the parish of Burnchurch, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Burnchurch Castle and tower, along with the nearby Church of Ireland church and lime trees, became a National Monument in 1993. The tower house is said to have been built and owned by the Fitzgeralds of the house of Desmond in the 15th or 16th century. It continued to be occupied until 1817. It is 6.5 km (4.0 mi) south west of Kilkenny, off the Clonmel Road, 6 km from Ballybur near Cuffesgrange, outside the town of Callan, near to Kells Priory. It is located in Burnchurch parish and was in the barony of Shillelogher.

Clomantagh Hill — photo by Sarah777 at en.wikipedia
PeakKilkenny

Clomantagh Hill

Spahill and Clomantagh Hill is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The SAC is in the parish of Balleen and includes the townlands of Clomantagh (Mt Garrett) and Spahill, in Irish Spahill is Cnoc na Spá and Clomantagh Hill is An Chloch Mhantach.

Coppanagh — photo by kevin higgins
PeakKilkenny

Coppanagh

Coppanagh (Irish: Sliabh Chopanaí) is a hill in County Kilkenny, Ireland. At 365 metres (1,198 ft) it is the second highest summit in County Kilkenny behind Brandon Hill and the 886th highest summit in Ireland. Both Coppanagh and Brandon Hill are situated near Mount Alto.

More counties in Leinster

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