Monuments to visit Ireland

In the th century, the city had seven doors that marked its limits. Westgate is the only one to have been preserved. The West Gate Heritage Centre offers exhibitions on the old town, maps and an audiovisual show on the history of Wexford.

Stacked since the twelfth century, the beautiful gray stones of Kilkenny's vast castle draw a wide open U-shaped river. The castle was greatly modified in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Purchased by the powerful Butler family in 1391, he remained in the hands of their descendants until 1935.

We will stop at a long time in the so-called portrait gallery room, a long piece of 45 meters which ends on a triple Gothic window. The wooden ceiling will take your attention. It is painted in a prjorhaelite style (xixe), as shown by young women languishing on arches whose media ends at the head of animals (game and hawks) carved and gilded.

A glass, unusual and architecturally audacious, gives the room rare clarity, a free luminosity. Carrara marble fireplace is engraved with seven bas-reliefs illustrating the history of the Butler family (whose French motto was «As I find»). The Butlers held their fortune from their privileged situation of official «tasters», in charge of savoring the royal cup of wine first (and, as you can imagine, the advantages attached to it…).

The castle also houses the Butler Gallery, one of the most important art galleries outside Dublin. This contemporary art gallery program shows its exhibitions independently. Finally, the huge park around the castle will be the occasion for a pleasant walk or picnic. In summer it is open until 8:30 p. m.

King John's Castle is one of the most impressive Anglo-Norman castles in Ireland. The exhibition centre presents the tormented history of the garrison and the inhabitants of the castle, from its construction in 1212 by King Jean. Paintings illustrate the evolution of the building from the th century to the present and tell the role of native Irish Celts, English, huguenots and palatins, at various periods of history. The exhibition includes a very astonishing series of six wooden sculptures, the real size of the people at the time, representing characters associated with the history of the castle. The front and rear facades of the exhibition centre have been adorned with immense armorial banners painted with medieval scenes and named King John. Archaeological remains, exposed in the basement, evoke Limerick's urban history at birth. A specially crafted film shows us the protagonists (played by actors) of the 1691 seats that result in the famous Limerick Treaty. King John, as the Lord of Ireland, was fighting his own currency. The royal slam hit the coins at the Castle's Coin Hotel. Today, visitors can obtain a replica of the original currency in memory of their visit. In the courtyard of the castle, where war machines and seat instruments are displayed, scroll away from costumed characters illustrating Limerick life in the th century.