Kilkenny is full of beautiful, historic buildings. To ensure they thrive well into the next century, we have given them purposes and then renovated them to suit this new need.
As we, in the medieval capital of Ireland know well, building walls doesn’t guarantee protection forever. In Kilkenny, we take a longer term, more careful approach to the conservation of our rich and varied built heritage, because in a City known for its passageways and slips, there’s no shortcut to protecting our incredible buildings.
There are two schools of thought. Either we preserve our many, very old buildings and show them off as relics for tourists to marvel at, or we preserve them and also put them to work for the local community.
In the City and towns, the sheer number of beautiful important heritage sites means that identifying and prioritising projects is a constant effort. Thankfully Kilkenny people are engaged and proud of what’s around them, so Kilkenny County Council is kept busy with calls from locals.
One such call was from Michael, the manager of a Supervalu store in Graiguenamanagh.
This heritage rich town dates back to 1204 when Duiske Abbey was formed. The Abbey, long abandoned but recently restored, remains the heart and soul of the town - the pride of the community. An ancient wall which happened to be in the car park of the Supervalu, thought to be the gable of the Abbot’s house or the Infirmary, was awarded €64,392.10 in 2023 for urgent conservation and stabilisation works.
Faced with population decline, the Graiguenamanagh/Tinnahinch Joint Local Area Plan 2021 outlined opportunity in the tourism industry and consolidation of the town centre as key ways to grow the town’s prosperity, supporting the argument that an investment in saving an old wall is also an investment in Graiguenamanagh.
The subjects of heritage, ecology and biodiversity are close and interconnected.
So many of Kilkenny’s ancient graveyards are thriving habitats for birds and insects. Consequently the restoration and conservation of churches and graveyards often require specialist materials and skills.
Thanks to large deposits of sandstone and limestone in the area, Kilkenny has a long tradition in stone carving. The heritage left behind from this ancient craft is slowly degrading with every century that passes. It’s up to us to revive these ancient crafts and use this knowledge to protect and preserve what we can.
Following a Conservation Management report commissioned by Thomastown Community Trust, Thomple Medieval Church and Graveyard were awarded €60,679.38 to carry out urgent masonry repairs including rebuilding collapsed walls.
The renovations of the Evans Home into The Butler Gallery, the transformation of St Mary’s Church and Graveyard into St Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum and the Mayfair Ballroom becoming the new Mayfair library, are just some examples of architectural heritage that have been carefully protected in this purpose-led manner.
St Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum
St Mary’s Medieval Mile Museum has become the perfect place for visitors to begin the Medieval Mile walk and also get a good feel for Kilkenny City as a whole. It regularly receives 5 star reviews on Trip Advisor.
The new Butler Gallery opened in the Evans Home in 2020. This incredible space has since become another focal point for the arts in the City, while the Wild Flower Cafe continues to bring flocks of locals through the doors.
The old Mayfair Ballroom in the heart of the Abbey Quarter will soon reopen as the Mayfair Library. With meeting rooms, exhibition areas and dedicated areas for children and teenagers, it might have lost its dancefloor, but it’s still a place for people to meet.
St Francis’ Abbey is a jewel on the site of the new Abbey Quarter. Its sculptural lines will become a fitting addition to Kilkenny’s historical hero line up including the beauty of St Canice’s Cathedral and Kilkenny Castle.
Kilkenny’s streets are proudly independent. By encouraging smaller retailers and business owners to populate our streets and by identifying and protecting our traditional shopfronts, we continue to breathe life into the unique character of the City.
The spaces between the buildings - the parks, footpaths, squares and views - where once these were an afterthought to where cars would drive, they are now focused on pedestrians.
It’s our intention to make public spaces be as multi-functional as possible. This has meant significant upgrades to paving, lighting and the integration of practical elements like rain shelters.
By concentrating these improvements on specific routes through the city, we are encouraging people to take pleasure in walking or cycling and to make active travel an integral part of their lifestyle.
Built with Shorthand