Things to see and do Kilkenny

Abbey founded in 1225 by Dominican monks, his official name is Abbey of The Most Holy Trinity, but she took the nickname Black Abbey, the black abbey, because of the color of his monks' dress. After the monasteries were dissolved by Henry VIII of England (between 1538 and 1541), Black Abbey was turned into a court. Left abandoned after the passage of Cromwell in 1650, it was restored in the nineteenth century. The interest of the architecture is limited, apart from a superb arched ceiling of shining wood and two beautiful stained glass windows.

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.

Guided tour of the city by train (30 minutes).