Information Density: Kilkenny Castle – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

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[H2]  Bealtaine Festival
[H4] As part of the OPW programme of events and initiatives for the Bealtaine Festival, there will be FREE ADMISSION to Kilkenny Castle for Senior citizens on Friday 22nd May 2026.
[H4] Complimentary tickets will be available  from the ticket desk only on the day.
[H4]

[H2] Welcome to Kilkenny Castle and Parklands

Few buildings in Ireland can boast a longer history of continuous occupation than Kilkenny Castle.
Founded soon after the Norman conquest of Ireland, the Castle has been rebuilt, extended and adapted to suit changing circumstances and uses over a period of 800 years.
Today, Kilkenny Castle is open to visitors all year round and is largely a Victorian remodelling of the thirteenth century defensive Castle.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to see this grand country house and walk through its fifty acres of rolling parkland with mature trees and an abundance of wildlife.
Other features include a formal terraced rose garden, woodlands and a man-made lake, which were added in the nineteenth century.
There is also a tearoom, playground and several orienteering trails for visitors to enjoy.
Please note that Free admission on the first Wednesday of each month is no longer applicable at Kilkenny Castle. Click here to access the full list of participating sites.
Please Note CCTV system is in operation at Kilkenny Castle and Park. Images are recorded for the purposes of security and personal safety.
Click here to read the OPW Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Systems Privacy Statement
Click here to read the OPW Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Systems Data Protection Policy

[H2] Book your tickets

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[H2] Plan your visit

Read more about our offering

[H2] Our exhibitions

[IMG: Kilkenny Networks exhibition poster.]

Read more on our exhibitions past and present

Have you visited Kilkenny Castle? We want to know what you think. Please take 5 minutes to complete our survey.

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[H2] What's On
Click here to check out the full calendar of events.

[H1] The Castle Blog
Read the latest Castle Blog

[IMG: The Chinese Screen in the Kilkenny Castle Collection.]

[H2]
The Chinese Screen in the Kilkenny Castle Collection.
“I’ve loved Chinese screens since I was eighteen years old. I nearly fainted with joy when entering a Chinese shop, I saw a Coromandel for the first time. Screens were the first thing I bought”. Coco Chanel (1883-1971).Certainly one of the most elegant objects in...

[IMG: Patrick Sarsfield and the Butler connection]

[H2]
Patrick Sarsfield and the Butler connection
Recently in Belgium, the grave of Patrick Sarsfield was located due to the intervention of Dr. Loïc Guyon, the honorary consul of France in Limerick. Patrick Sarsfield was fatally injured at the Battle of Landen (or Lindon) on July 29th 1693 while in the service of...

[IMG: Barbara Villiers and the Butler Family Feud]

[H2]
Barbara Villiers and the Butler Family Feud
Barbara Villiers and the Butler Family Feud. Barbara Villiers (Palmer), 1st Duchess of Cleveland and Countess of Castlemaine was born in November 1640. She became over the course of her career at court one of the principal mistresses to King Charles II of England....

2 events found.

[H3]
August 2026

Tue
18

As part of the OPW programme of Irish Sign Language interpreted tours at Heritage sites around the country, Kilkenny Castle is offering free ISL interpreted tour Sunday 1st March at 3.30pm One of our experienced guide accompanied by an ISL interpreter will lead you throughout the restored Period Rooms of Kilkenny Castle and will put […]

Free

[H3]
December 2026

Sun
6

As part of the OPW programme of Irish Sign Language interpreted tours at Heritage sites around the country, Kilkenny Castle is offering free ISL interpreted tour Sunday 1st March at 3.30pm One of our experienced guide accompanied by an ISL interpreter will lead you throughout the restored Period Rooms of Kilkenny Castle and will put […]

Free

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[H2]  Bealtaine Festival
[H4] As part of the OPW programme of events and initiatives for the Bealtaine Festival, there will be FREE ADMISSION to Kilkenny Castle for Senior citizens on Friday 22nd May 2026.
[H4] Complimentary tickets will be available  from the ticket desk only on the day.

[H2] Castle Opening Arrangements

[H3] 1st October to 30th March
09:30 to 17:00 ( last admission at 16:30)
[H3] 1st April to 30th September
09:15 to 17:30 (Last admission at 17:00)

*Closed on the 25th, 26th & 27th December.
*Open from 9.30am to 1pm only with last admission at 12.30pm on the 24th & 31st December.
⛈ The opening of OPW sites can be weather dependent and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all, access may be subject to change at short notice.
Every attempt will be made to announce these closures ahead of time but if you are in any doubt, please check with site for its Open/Close Status.

[IMG: View of the Main Gate]

[H2] Park and Garden Opening Arrangements

January
09:00 – 16:30
February
09:00 – 17:30
March
08:30 – 18:00
April
08:30 – 19:30
May, June, July and August
08:30 – 20:30
September
08:30 – 19:30
October
08:30 – 18:00
November
09:00 – 17:00
December
09:00 – 16:30
Please note that the locking of the Park begins 30 minutes before the scheduled closing time with the last gate located in the Courtyard area.
Open daily except for December 24th from 13:00 & December 25th.

[H2] 2026 Admission Rates

[H2] Self-Guided Visits
CATEGORIES                                                        Rates
Adult                                                                    €8
Senior (60+)                                                         €6
Child (12/17) / Student ( with valid ID)                   €4
Family (2 adults + 3 children)                                 €20
Children under 12                                                  FREE
Heritage Card Holders                                            FREE
Book your self-guided ticket online

[IMG: Visitors admiring the paintings and tapestries in the Picture Gallery.]

[H2] Guided tours
CATEGORIES                                                        Rates
Adult                                                                    €12
Senior (60+)                                                         €10
Child (12/17) / Student ( with valid ID)                   €6
Family (2 adults + 3 children)                                 €30
Children under 12                                                  FREE
Heritage Card Holders                                            FREE
Book your guided tour ticket online

[IMG: A guide giving a guided tour of the Drawing room to a group of visitors.]

[H2] Heritage Cards
[IMG: Click Here for more info on Heritage Card.]
Explore Ireland’s wonderful Heritage
Buy an Office of Public Works (OPW) Heritage Card
Free admission to more than 45 of Ireland’s finest Heritage Sites
Find out more about the Heritage Card

[H2] Visitors with disabilities
We offer free entry for visitors with disabilities and their accompanying carers
Book complimentary tickets

"

[H2] Ormonde Estate Maps
[H3]
[H3]

[H2] Estate Maps
Click Here to learn more

[H2] Walter Butler
Click Here to learn more

[H2] Kilkenny Networks
[H2] Merchants-Magnates-Courtiers

[H3] 18th July 2022 – September 2024

This exhibition, researched and curated by Dr. Jane Fenlon, brings us right back to medieval times, a time when Ireland was as intertwined with European life as it is today.
The networking circle created by the Ormonde family and benefitting the Kilkenny merchants was at the highest and wealthiest level of society of the day and was a springboard for the development of Kilkenny financially, architecturally, and culturally.
It explores the impact of such cultural proximity and aims to broaden our knowledge of the early Ormonde earls, their position in society, their courtly contacts and importance on the international stage, their patronage of the arts and their travels.
It also looks at some of the major historical figures who formed part of the Ormondes’ extensive network during the period, for example, Elizabeth I of England, Cardinal Wolsey, Anne Bolyen, Katherne Parr to mention but a few.
Of vital importance, too, through playing a part in the financial and legal affairs of the earls of Ormonde, were the Kilkenny merchants, who often had a role as merchant bankers.
Forming a civic oligarchy, they had a pivotal position in the development and enrichment of the town through engagement in trade with major British and European ports.
Admission to the Kilkenny Networks Exhibition is included in the General Admission Ticket.

[H2] Magnates and Merchants in early Modern Kilkenny
Click Here to buy the book

[H2] Kilkenny Networks
Click Here to download the Brochure

[H2] The Ros Tapestry, a tale told in thread.

[H3] 6th August 2021- 26th January 2025

The Ros Tapestry exhibition has drawn in thread the story of the Normans and their arrival in the Southeast of Ireland and the consequent development of the dynamic port of Ros is depicted in a series of fifteen large striking embroidered panels.
From the initiation of a Celtic King to Hiberno-Norman commerce, the cultural legacy of Leinster is immortalised in stitches.
Everyone can now see this amazing exhibition, which is a fantastic legacy for the country, combining as it does wonderful art, admirable craftsmanship, and a multitude of fascinating stories.
The Ros Tapestry project is the brainchild of Rev. Paul Mooney, St Mary’s Church, New Ross, inspired by the famous Bayeux Tapestry in France, who conceived the idea of creating a series of tapestries to commemorate the Norman history of New Ross and South East Ireland.
The first tapestry was completed in 2002 and to date 14 of the 15 tapestries are finished.
The final one is being stitched in Kilkenny and is nearing completion.
Volunteers throughout the country have done all the stitching, with well over 150 stitchers contributing, working both at home and in local venues.
Each tapestry is embroidered on to Jacobean linen twill fabric with woollen thread using a multitude of different stitches, such as ‘Long and Short’, ‘French knots’ and ‘Bullion knots’.
It takes approximately 1 hour to stitch 1 square inch and can take anything from 3 to 7 years to complete a panel.
Admission to the Ros Tapestry Exhibition only is free of charge. Complimentary admission is available on site during Kilkenny Castle normal opening hours.
From November to February, the exhibtition may be closed during lunch time. Check on the day for  lunchtime opening arrangements.
For general queries phone 046 942 3249
For any group booking queries contact us.
An audio guide was produced by Abarta Heritage on behalf of Ros Tapestry to accompany the exhibition.

[H2] Ros Tapestry Exhibition
Click Here to buy the Book

[H2] Ros Tapestry Exhibition
Click Here to listen to the audio guide

[H2] Moments in Time – 1870-1970
[H3] 2020-2025

This exhibition captures ‘moments in time’ from the lives of the last five Marquesses of Ormonde, over a period of one hundred years.
The early 20th  century images were taken when the Castle was inhabited sporadically as a family home and the Butlers spent increasingly more time in England.
The entire world order changed rapidly in the first half of the twentieth century,
the displayed images record Kilkenny Castle and its family as the old order was slowly fading away.
The photographs are an intimate introduction to members of the Butler family and provide glimpses into their social world at a transient time in Irish history.
The fortunes of Kilkenny Castle ebbed and flowed during the 20th century; a state of disrepair, its contents auctioned, it stood empty and abandoned until the building was gifted to the people of Kilkenny.
Under the care of the Office of Public Works since 1969, Kilkenny Castle is once again a thriving focal centre for its local community and it attracts visitors from all over the world.

[H2] Moments in Time
Click Here to listen to the audio guide

[H2] Arrêts sur image – 1870-1970

[H2] لحظات زمني 1970-1870

[H2] 历史瞬间 – 1870-1970

[H2] Momenten in de tijd – 1870-1970

[H2] Zeitpunkte – 1870-1970

[H2] רגעים בזמן 1870-1970

[H2] Attimi nel Tempo – 1870-1970

[H2] 「時のなかで」 – 1870年 – 1970年

[H2] Chwile zatrzymane w czasie – lata 1870-1970

[H2] Momentos no tempo – 1870-1970

[H2] Моменты времени – 1870-1970

[H2] Momentos en el tiempo – 1870-1970

[H2] Kilkenny Castle Wallpaper Archive

[H3] 2020-2025

[H3] Muniments Room
The wallpapers displayed in the Muniments Room have been selected from a collection of more than 250 examples of historic wallpaper donated to the Office of Public Works in 2020.
The archive spans nearly three centuries, from early manufacture in 18th-century Dublin to the closure of the Kildare Wallpaper Factory in 1980.
Most items have been retrieved from the walls of buildings around Ireland, either during conservation work or as donations from house-owners, builders or architects.
They reveal the colours and patterns which formed the background to everyday life in different periods and at different levels of society.

[H2] Kilkenny Cat Walk Trail

[H3] 10 October 2021- Easter 2022

OPW is delighted to adopt and host two Kilkenny Cats on the grounds of the Castle, as part of the Kilkenny Catwalk Trail, which will officially launch on Sunday 10 October and continue until Easter 2021.
This very special exhibition features 21 magnificent cat sculptures, which have been exquisitely decorated and are located in some of Kilkenny’s most beautiful public spaces and heritage sites.
Visitors will be invited to download a special trail app and thus enjoy their trail adventure through town.
The Cat models are 5ft tall fibreglass resin sculptures based on ‘The Secret of Kells’ character, ‘Pangur Bán’ which was created by four-time Academy Awards®, Golden Glove®, BAFTA and Emmy nominated Kilkenny-based Animation Studio – ‘Cartoon Saloon’.
We are thrilled to announce that this very special original‘‘Pangur Bán’, which was designed by Bonnie Mier from Cartoon Saloon is now a resident of the formal Rose Garden of Kilkenny Castle for the duration.
We are also delighted to welcome our second Cat – ‘Pangur A la’n which was decorated by Francis Tansey and will sit happily in the courtyard area.
This project is a partnership between Kilkenny Civic Trust and Kilkenny County Council and was created by The Art of Tourism who specialise in the delivery of public art trails.

[H2] Irish Craft Heroes

[H3] 22 July – 6 October 2021

[H3] Kilkenny Castle Park & Castle YardPark Opening Hours

OPW is delighted to support Irish Craft Heroes with this major outdoor exhibition celebrating makers whose work has significant legacy, has heralded new approaches or changed the way we look at the world.
The exhibition charts the evolution of the craft and design sector in Ireland over the last 50 years and pays homage to the many makers whose work has contributed to the rich tapestry of craft and design practice in Ireland.
Produced by Design & Crafts Council Ireland with support from the Office of Public Works, Kilkenny County Council and Kilkenny Arts Festival.
Through an open call the craft community and public were invited to nominate their #IrishCraftHero; makers whose work inspires and has significantly impacted the sector over the past 50 years.
Over 600 nominations were received, and an expert committee was convened, charged with narrowing the selection to 50 makers, reviewing all nominations on criteria of skill, design, impact, innovation and originality.
The nominations demonstrated the wealth of inspirational makers working in Ireland throughout the last 50 years.
It also highlighted that so many other heroes significantly contribute to the craft community through commitment to education; leading development of disciplines through guilds, associations networks and societies; establishing innovative projects to support makers, or indeed advocating on behalf of the sector.
The Irish Craft Heroes exhibition, celebrating 50 years of Irish craft, coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s (DCCI) establishment in 1971. Following its launch in Kilkenny, the outdoor exhibition will tour to Dublin Castle, Belfast, Galway and Cork through to 2022.
Further information from: www.ndcg.ie/exhibitions/irish-craft-heroes