Must see attractions in Kilkenny City

Top Choice

Ireland's second-largest medieval cathedral (after St Patrick's in Dublin) has a long and fascinating history. The first monastery was built here in the…

Top Choice

Rising above the River Nore, Kilkenny Castle is one of Ireland's most visited heritage sites. Stronghold of the powerful Butler family, it has a history…

Top Choice

Dating from the early 13th century, St Mary's Church has been converted into a fascinating modern museum that charts the history of Kilkenny in medieval…

Dating from 1594, this is Ireland's finest example of a Tudor merchant's house, complete with a restored medieval garden. Built around a series of…

Contemporary Irish crafts are showcased at the imaginative National Design & Craft Gallery, set in former stables across the road from Kilkenny Castle,…

Until its closure, Smithwick's was Ireland’s oldest working brewery. John Smithwick founded the business in 1710 on the site of Kilkenny's 13th-century St…

Founded in 1225 by William Marshal, this Dominican abbey takes its name from the monks' black habits. Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th…

The Butler Gallery is one of the country’s most important art galleries outside Dublin. Small exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists are…

These 21 hectares of public parkland extend to the southeast of Kilkenny Castle, framing a fine view of Mt Leinster, while a Celtic-cross-shaped rose…

The beautiful Butler House gardens are home to an unusual water feature constructed from remnants of the British-built Nelson's Pillar, blown up by…

Kilkenny's Tholsel (City Hall) was built in 1761 on the spot where Dame Alice Kyteler’s maid Petronella was burned at the stake in 1324 for witchcraft …

This is the only gate from the old Norman city walls still standing, albeit with the help of metal bracing these days. Crumbling sections of the old walls…

One of the surviving corner towers of Kilkenny's medieval city walls.

One of the surviving corner towers of Kilkenny's medieval city walls.

This substantial tower house, dating from around 1500, once formed part of the city's defences, protecting the approach from the east.