Kilkenny Castle

The history of Kilkenny Castle dates back to 1172 when Strongbow -- the popular name of Richard de Clare, Anglo-Norman conqueror of Ireland -- built a wooden tower overlooking the River Nore. In 1260, his son-in-law William the Earl Marshall replaced this with a four-towered, square-shaped stone castle.

Three of those stone towers remain part of the existing structure, and give the building its distinctive look, making it one of Ireland’s most recognisable castles.

The castle was purchased by one of Ireland’s most distinguished and wealthy families, the Butlers, in 1391. The Butler descendants the Earls, Marquesses and Dukes of Ormonde – lived in the castle for over five hundred years, until 1935.

The Butlers were an important family in Irish history both politically and culturally. The lineage went on to include William and Jack Butler Yeats, arguably the country’s most famous 20th century poet and artist respectively.
Because of the castle’s size, its maintenance expenses are huge, and it was sold to the State in 1967 for the nominal fee of 50 Irish pounds, though most of the furniture was auctioned.

Today, many of the castle’s rooms are open to the public. Most impressive is the Long Gallery, with its beautifully painted ceilings and extensive portrait collection of the Butler family members througout the centuries. Art exhibitions are regularly held in a section of the castle known as the Butler Gallery, while the basement kitchen is now a fine restaurant. One of the towers, known as the Parade Tower, is today used as a conference centre.

The grounds are also very impressive, and include a rose garden, a park, a fountain, and a children's playground in the courtyard.