Kilkenny Castle - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The former St Mary’s Church has been converted into a modern museum, and is a venue for select events and exhibitions. Designed to enrich the cultural life of the city and provide a new international standard attraction for visitors the museum has several functions: as the starting point for understanding Kilkenny’s medieval history, to display Kilkenny’s Civic Treasures and replicas of some of Ossory High Crosses and to provide a space for temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

The Tholsel in Kilkenny is known as a tax office and was built in 1761. The building consisted of 5 arched arcades which served as a covered marketplace. Originally built to collect taxes, the place was used for many purposes including as a custom office and as a court house.Today the Tholsel is a platform for many exhibitions, street theatre and other cultural activities for which the centre is nicknamed as ‘Kilkenny’s Times Square’.

The Butler Gallery’s new home is in the Evans Home, a former Almshouse. It is a dynamic cultural hub in the middle of Kilkenny, providing a variety of spaces for art, installations & sculpture both inside and out. The gallery, previously based in the basement of Kilkenny Castle, is located in the redeveloped Evans' Home, a former almshouse built in the 19th century for impoverished domestic servants.

This is a medieval Augustinian abbey and National Monument located in Kilkenny City, Ireland. The Lady Chapel of the Abbey is now used as a parish church of the Church of Ireland. The roofless remains of the chancel of the old priory church with a seven-light east window. Inside the ruins are late mediaeval tombs including the altar tomb of a Purcell couple with carvings of the Crucifixion and the Apostles.

Talbot's Tower is a ruins in Kilkenny, situated west of Sionhermitage. An architectural marvel located in the heart of the Kilkenny and it is now attracted by many tourists.

This beautiful Kilkenny Castle Parkland boasts both formal and informal gardens. Set in Kilkenny City, the estate overlooks the Nore River and includes mature trees and shrubs as well as an ornamental lake. It includes all the walled demesne parkland to the south of Kilkenny Castle and the formal terraced gardens to the north comprising a total of 50 acres. Today it is open to visitors all year round and is largely a Victorian remodelling of the thirteenth century defensive Castle.