Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny

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We arrived in Kilkenny for lunch but we did not have time to do a tour of the castle which was first occupied when Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, commonly known as Strongbow constructed the first castle, probably a wooden structure, in the 12th century. The original Anglo-Norman stone castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke (c.1146-1219) during the first decade of the thirteenth century.

The best we could do was to walk around outside and a little bit inside. There are ornamental gardens on the city side of the castle, and extensive land and gardens to the front. We didn't get to see much of the interior - I understand the restored area in the central block includes a library, drawing room, and bedrooms decorated in 1830's style, as well as the Long Gallery. A suite of former servant's rooms is the Butler Art Gallery

Access for visitors with disabilities to ground floor and the gardens only

Admission Fees

Adult: €6.00
Senior / Group (20+): €4.00
Student / Child (over 6): €2.50
Family: €14.00

Opening Hours

Oct. - Feb: Daily 09.30 - 16.30
Please note: The Ticket Desk will be closed from 1 to 2pm on Saturdays & Sundays until January 31st. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

March: Daily 09.30 - 17.00

April - May: Daily 09.30 - 17.30

June - Aug. Daily 09.00 - 17.30

Sept. Daily 09.30 - 17.30

Closed on Good Friday.

Last admission 30 minutes before closing

Average Length of Visit: 1 hour

To join a talk in the Long Gallery as part of your visit, please check with site for daily schedule.

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Although built in 1195 by the first Earl of Pembroke, the Kilkenny Castle experience is dominated by the influence of the Butler family. The Butlers of Ormonde bought the castle in the late fourteenth century. They governed over the area around Kilkenny for 5 centuries and members of the family lived there up until 1935.
The portrait gallery is a beautiful room on the upper floor featuring portraits of the Butler family through the ages. A great view of the grounds can also be seen from the upper floor of the castle.

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Kilkenny Castle was the first castle of many that we visited on our trip, at the time we did not realize that most of the sights included on the Heritage Card were supposed to have guided tours, they discontinued them here which sent an Italian tour guide near us into a tizzy. The Italian students she was with, however, didn't seem to care at all, most of them rushing through like there was a competition to see who could get done first.

They did give us a photocopied sheet containing information on each room, in some ways I prefer that to a guided tour as I get to take the information home with me and I can go at my own pace and didn't have to wait until an official tour started. The attached website goes into even greater detail if you want to read up before you go. No interior photos are allowed which is why I don't have any. Except that one I took before I saw the no photo sign...

Kilkenny Castle was built in the 12th century for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke and later became the principal residence for the Butler family for almost 600 years until 1971 when it was given to the people of Kilkenny for a token sum of £50.

Most of the castle was renovated in the 19th century and the room that impressed me most in the castle only dates back to the 19th century, the Picture Gallery Wing. The walls are covered in paintings but what is really striking is the painted ceiling and the cross beams with gilded animal heads.

I understand that there are gardens behind the castle but when I went to look around the backside of the castle the rain changed from a vertical to a horizontal position and we decided to look for a drier place to hang out for a bit.

Admission to the castle was included on the Heritage Card.

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We walked up to the castle, it is only 10 minutes from the town centre and a fine example of how life was hundreds of years ago.

For those who wish to tour the castle there is an entry charge. We enjoyed walking through the extensive gardens and woodlands and enjoying the magnificent view over the River Nore and town.

Much of this castle is beautifully restored, with original furnishings. Before it was restored, it had fallen into a bad state. They show that on the tour. I enjoyed the largest room,which has the tallest ceiling and old, old tapestries and oil paintings of former residents hanging. When the weather was too foul to walk outside, they would stroll in this room! The guide said that once a year they would invite the common townspeople into this room, to walk and gawk. The tour is very good & was worth the 5 Euro price.

You may walk around the large grounds without charge.

In the lower level of the castle there was a small art gallery, with modern art! The small gift shop is pretty good, too., the theme being Irish castles, of course.

kilkenny castle is the top tourist attaction in kilkenny. built in the 1190's. the powerful butler family lived in the castle from the 14th century until 1935. the achitecture of the castle is medieval but over the years the butlers made some gothic revival changes. the castle is open to the public and has interesting rooms and a fine art collection.

Not exactly the medieval fortress visitors may hope to see, Kilkenny Castle is largely a reconstruction of how it looked in much later times (17th-19th centuries) before falling almost to ruins. Still, it's quite impressive and the guided tour shows how the aristocracy lived. Please note cameras aren't permitted on the tours, no exceptions. They have to be handed in to a kiosk before the tour starts and picked up again once it's over. Don't worry, it will be in safe hands.

This site of this castle has been occupied for over 1000 years. It is best known as the home of the Butlers, who owned it from the 1300’s until 1967, when it was sold to the city of Kilkenny for 50 pounds. Most of the castle has been restored to what it was like in the 17th centry. The castle is pretty impressive, especially the long room which contains paintings of the Butler family and their friends. The castle has a pretty informative tour.

The tour lasts about 45 min and costs 5.40 (2.10 w/ student ID).