Kilkenny Castle Photos
Recommended Reviews - Kilkenny Castle
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What a cool castle with lots of history. The self guided tour is super affordable and interesting with lots of stuff to read and you can see many rooms. I love walking around and seeing the old history. The grounds are also beautiful. It's right downtown so easy to get to and worth a stop!
Parking nearby the castle was quite difficult so we left our car at our B&B and walked instead. I booked our tickets online using our Heritage Card but it wasn't really needed the day of our visit as there were few visitors. We wandered around the castle listening to the audio guide. One of the docents we met was quite friendly and gave us a comprehensive overview of the different type of antlers in the room as well as tips on other places to visit nearby. Inside every room was elaborately decorated but the following stood out for us: The Picture Gallery was quite amazing with its beautiful wooden ceiling that was carved or hand painted on almost every inch of wood. The Moorish Staircase was impressive and unique. We also enjoyed wandering around the library which would've been such a nice spot to kick back and relax. The oddly shaped keyhole tapestry room was such a strange feature but was an appropriate setting to showcase two 17th century tapestries. Outside was a little chilly to enjoy but there was a huge park with trails and located next to the River Noire.
This place was so cool!! I loved it and making my way to the basement where low and behold I found tea, sandwiches and treats! I imagined having a picnic on the park grounds with the musician out front playing his violin. Just lovely!!
Loved visiting Kilkenny castle! Looks amazing on the outside and is just as cool on the inside. It can be a quick trip through the castle or you can take as much time as needed. It was neat looking at all the intricate set ups and art work within all the rooms. The grounds surrounding the castle are beautiful. It is so well taken care of it and looks really great in pictures. There is so much room. Would love to spend a day here for a picnic in the garden area. We walked straight up and bought our tickets then went in immediately after but it looks like you can book on their website as well. There are options for self guided or guided tours.
The Kilkenny Castle is such a beautiful castle, and is an imposing landmark in town, as it can be seen from various locations in the city both near and far. In general, Kilkenny was a great city to visit outside of Dublin, as it was much more charming and picturesque than Galway. What makes Kilkenny Castle so great is that a lot of preservation and restoration work has gone into it to make it look as beautiful as it does, as you find many castles around Ireland are ruins that have deteriorated over the years. While I didn't get a chance to tour the castle interiors as I wanted to check out Kilkenny, I was able to take pictures of both sides of the castle, and visit both the gardens and open green areas you find on either side. I'd recommend a visit to Kilkenny and its castle if you're looking for a nice day trip south of Dublin to the Wicklow mountains and Irish countryside.
It's a castle! Only self-guided tours available - reasonably priced - unable to get on WiFi so unable to activate audio prompts or scan the QR readers Taking a step back in time, feeling the rich history of this place (& Kilkenny as a whole)was pretty awesome - not everything was "original" but one "gets the idea" of the grandiosity of this space and boy, if those castle walls could talk...I'm trying to imagine how the locals look at that every day and not take it for granted
This is a beautifully preserved castle. The guide staff were very welcoming and friendly, as well as giving great information on the tour. The grounds of the castle are also beautiful so take some time to go for a walk outside as well!
Kilkenny Castle is easily accessible from The Strand in downtown Kilkenny. The rooms on display are fitted up as they were in the Regency and Victorian eras. On the ground floor are the Withdrawing Room and the Dining Room. Then the Entrance Hall grand staircase lead s to upper level with the Library, Drawing Room, and the Parlour. A set LC backstairs leads to displays on the history of Kilkenny and the Earls of Ormond who owned the castle. The fabulous Moorish Staircase leads back down to the long Picture Gallery that also served as a ballroom and reception room. A great historic house museum to visit! The exit takes one through the Tea Room, appropriately situated in the former kitchen. I enjoyed a Toastie for lunch here. Outside is a large castle park in which to take a walk.
We didn't pay to go inside the castle but the grounds and gardens themselves are stunning! We witnessed a wedding going on that was stunning to! A must see!
Loved visiting this castle. Ireland seems to have a castle in every city, but this one is so loved. People decorating and cleaning it for the holidays were friendly, and some gave us some history while we walked thru our self guided tour. The restoration that has taken place is finominale. The end of the tour resulted in tea time in the original kitchen with my daughter. The tea was delicious, and the cakes were delightful. They have sandwiches and quiches also. The sweet lady who runs it was very nice and offered great conversation. The buyer quarters is a must also.. across the street and has amazing shopping.
We were staying in Kilkenny and since the castle is such a prominent feature, visible all over town, we had to pay a visit. We did the self-guided tour, and enjoyed it a great deal. The brochure had good details about each stop; there was also an app with an audio guide but we didn't use that since we didn't have earbuds with us. Definitely bring phones and earbuds if you want to access the audio parts of the tour, but we enjoyed ourselves without it. They have done a great deal of work restoring the rooms to various different time periods. The photos and history in the exhibits on the top floor were also nicely done. The garden and grounds were beautiful as well. Definitely worth the cost (I think it was 8€) for the self guided tour!
Based on the reviews of Kilkenny, it said that you can basically see the Castle from anywhere in the city. We found this mostly true and it is certainly a main reason that tourists make their way to this town. We saw it while crossing the bridge as we hiked to our hotel from the train station. We saw it as we crossed the street to our hotel and all over anytime another building wasn't blocking it or in the way. Once it was time for our tour, it was a beautiful sunny day with bright blue skies, a few clouds, and a good breeze. We opted for the guided tour rather than the self-paced because of the reviews online and we would agree with what others are saying. For an hour long tour, you definitely get your money's worth. Our guide, John Kelly did a fantastic job keeping the group engaged and was a wonderful storyteller. It was really interesting to hear about the history of the castle and it's residents, the Butler family (and company). Our favorite part was the terrace leading our the garden, which the road had to be removed in order to make room for this expansive garden. You could see this all from the "guest rooms" which were decorated to match some of the periods the researchers were able to find picture of and replacate. Most of the items and decor were not originals, as we learned that there was a lot of damage before the castle was turned into a museum. We learned that the last "owner" sold the property for very very little in the 1960's to the community so that they could refurbish and open it to the public. The long room at the end of the tour was incredibly detailed and impressive. It was fairly new in construction compared to the rest of the castle and its design was inspired by an upside down ship hull. After the tour we had plenty of time to explore the park and surrounding area. For more recommendations and tips from our Ireland trip... Follow @vanmblin
Beautifully restored medieval castle that was "modernized" in the mid 1800s and then restored again in the 1970s back to its 1800s glory. The grounds are parklike, but only the courtyard was open the day we were there. I really wish we could have seen the front where the fountain was. Also for as large as the castle is, very little of it was open for tours. It's worth a stop in Kilkenny, and great to do when it's raining. A picnic by the fountain would be an excellent way to have lunch! They have public wifi and info via a self guided tour and QR codes (I think it was reading) but cell service and wifi was spotty at best. I missed a bunch of info because it wouldn't load.
When friends ask me what the best part of our Enchanted Ireland tour in which I reply the Kilkenny Castle. It was absolutely amazing and elegant. If you're from the U.S. the closest we would come to such elegance would be the Biltmore. I strongly suggest taking a guided tour either with a tour guide or self guided with audio. The grounds are beautiful even though we were there on a rainy day. Inside you'll visit multiple rooms, modernized facilities for its own time. Beautiful paintings, tapestry, furniture, table settings, etc. There is a replica of a suit of armor, but it's relevant to what could have been real for that time. They are strict on where you can go and what you can touch. Picture taking is OK. read more
If you are in Kilkenny Ireland, you must visit the Kilkenny Castle. This place is well preserved and gives such a great tour of history. The stunning sites in every room will take you back hundreds of years ago. With every turn of the corner, you're faced with beautiful Furniture, paintings, and tapestries. Photos don't even capture the magnificent history in this castle. Be sure to visit the Kilkenny Castle on your next trip to Ireland read more
We decided to tour the Kilkenny castle grounds on the last day that we spent in the city. It is quite a lovely spot! The tour was self guided and took about an hour. You get to tour a good number of the rooms throughout the castle, and here/read about the history of the place. It's amazing how many of these places have been around in some form for 1000 years or so! Perhaps the most impressive thing here was the giant set of an ancient moose antlers that were absolutely massive! Don't forget to check out the dungeon where there was a nice movie playing explaining some more of the history of the place. This is a must do if you're in the area! read more
10 months ago
What a cool castle with lots of history. The self guided tour is super affordable and interesting with lots of stuff to read and you can see many rooms. I love walking around and seeing the old history. The grounds are also beautiful. It's right downtown so easy to get to and worth a stop! read more
Parking nearby the castle was quite difficult so we left our car at our B&B and walked instead. I booked our tickets online using our Heritage Card but it wasn't really needed the day of our visit as there were few visitors. We wandered around the castle listening to the audio guide. One of the docents we met was quite friendly and gave us a comprehensive overview of the different type of antlers in the room as well as tips on other places to visit nearby. Inside every room was elaborately decorated but the following stood out for us: The Picture Gallery was quite amazing with its beautiful wooden ceiling that was carved or hand painted on almost every inch of wood. The Moorish Staircase was impressive and unique. We also enjoyed wandering around the library which would've been such a nice spot to kick back and relax. The oddly shaped keyhole tapestry room was such a strange feature but was an appropriate setting to showcase two 17th century tapestries. Outside was a little chilly to enjoy but there was a huge park with trails and located next to the River Noire. read more
11 months ago
This place was so cool!! I loved it and making my way to the basement where low and behold I found tea, sandwiches and treats! I imagined having a picnic on the park grounds with the musician out front playing his violin. Just lovely!! read more
2 years ago
Loved visiting Kilkenny castle! Looks amazing on the outside and is just as cool on the inside. It can be a quick trip through the castle or you can take as much time as needed. It was neat looking at all the intricate set ups and art work within all the rooms. The grounds surrounding the castle are beautiful. It is so well taken care of it and looks really great in pictures. There is so much room. Would love to spend a day here for a picnic in the garden area. We walked straight up and bought our tickets then went in immediately after but it looks like you can book on their website as well. There are options for self guided or guided tours. read more
The Kilkenny Castle is such a beautiful castle, and is an imposing landmark in town, as it can be seen from various locations in the city both near and far. In general, Kilkenny was a great city to visit outside of Dublin, as it was much more charming and picturesque than Galway. What makes Kilkenny Castle so great is that a lot of preservation and restoration work has gone into it to make it look as beautiful as it does, as you find many castles around Ireland are ruins that have deteriorated over the years. While I didn't get a chance to tour the castle interiors as I wanted to check out Kilkenny, I was able to take pictures of both sides of the castle, and visit both the gardens and open green areas you find on either side. I'd recommend a visit to Kilkenny and its castle if you're looking for a nice day trip south of Dublin to the Wicklow mountains and Irish countryside. read more
3 years ago
It's a castle! Only self-guided tours available - reasonably priced - unable to get on WiFi so unable to activate audio prompts or scan the QR readers Taking a step back in time, feeling the rich history of this place (& Kilkenny as a whole)was pretty awesome - not everything was "original" but one "gets the idea" of the grandiosity of this space and boy, if those castle walls could talk...I'm trying to imagine how the locals look at that every day and not take it for granted read more
1 year ago
This is a beautifully preserved castle. The guide staff were very welcoming and friendly, as well as giving great information on the tour. The grounds of the castle are also beautiful so take some time to go for a walk outside as well! read more
Kilkenny Castle is easily accessible from The Strand in downtown Kilkenny. The rooms on display are fitted up as they were in the Regency and Victorian eras. On the ground floor are the Withdrawing Room and the Dining Room. Then the Entrance Hall grand staircase lead s to upper level with the Library, Drawing Room, and the Parlour. A set LC backstairs leads to displays on the history of Kilkenny and the Earls of Ormond who owned the castle. The fabulous Moorish Staircase leads back down to the long Picture Gallery that also served as a ballroom and reception room. A great historic house museum to visit! The exit takes one through the Tea Room, appropriately situated in the former kitchen. I enjoyed a Toastie for lunch here. Outside is a large castle park in which to take a walk. read more
2 years ago
We didn't pay to go inside the castle but the grounds and gardens themselves are stunning! We witnessed a wedding going on that was stunning to! A must see! read more
Loved visiting this castle. Ireland seems to have a castle in every city, but this one is so loved. People decorating and cleaning it for the holidays were friendly, and some gave us some history while we walked thru our self guided tour. The restoration that has taken place is finominale. The end of the tour resulted in tea time in the original kitchen with my daughter. The tea was delicious, and the cakes were delightful. They have sandwiches and quiches also. The sweet lady who runs it was very nice and offered great conversation. The buyer quarters is a must also.. across the street and has amazing shopping. read more
We were staying in Kilkenny and since the castle is such a prominent feature, visible all over town, we had to pay a visit. We did the self-guided tour, and enjoyed it a great deal. The brochure had good details about each stop; there was also an app with an audio guide but we didn't use that since we didn't have earbuds with us. Definitely bring phones and earbuds if you want to access the audio parts of the tour, but we enjoyed ourselves without it. They have done a great deal of work restoring the rooms to various different time periods. The photos and history in the exhibits on the top floor were also nicely done. The garden and grounds were beautiful as well. Definitely worth the cost (I think it was 8€) for the self guided tour! read more
Based on the reviews of Kilkenny, it said that you can basically see the Castle from anywhere in the city. We found this mostly true and it is certainly a main reason that tourists make their way to this town. We saw it while crossing the bridge as we hiked to our hotel from the train station. We saw it as we crossed the street to our hotel and all over anytime another building wasn't blocking it or in the way. Once it was time for our tour, it was a beautiful sunny day with bright blue skies, a few clouds, and a good breeze. We opted for the guided tour rather than the self-paced because of the reviews online and we would agree with what others are saying. For an hour long tour, you definitely get your money's worth. Our guide, John Kelly did a fantastic job keeping the group engaged and was a wonderful storyteller. It was really interesting to hear about the history of the castle and it's residents, the Butler family (and company). Our favorite part was the terrace leading our the garden, which the road had to be removed in order to make room for this expansive garden. You could see this all from the "guest rooms" which were decorated to match some of the periods the researchers were able to find picture of and replacate. Most of the items and decor were not originals, as we learned that there was a lot of damage before the castle was turned into a museum. We learned that the last "owner" sold the property for very very little in the 1960's to the community so that they could refurbish and open it to the public. The long room at the end of the tour was incredibly detailed and impressive. It was fairly new in construction compared to the rest of the castle and its design was inspired by an upside down ship hull. After the tour we had plenty of time to explore the park and surrounding area. For more recommendations and tips from our Ireland trip... Follow @vanmblin read more
3 years ago
Beautifully restored medieval castle that was "modernized" in the mid 1800s and then restored again in the 1970s back to its 1800s glory. The grounds are parklike, but only the courtyard was open the day we were there. I really wish we could have seen the front where the fountain was. Also for as large as the castle is, very little of it was open for tours. It's worth a stop in Kilkenny, and great to do when it's raining. A picnic by the fountain would be an excellent way to have lunch! They have public wifi and info via a self guided tour and QR codes (I think it was reading) but cell service and wifi was spotty at best. I missed a bunch of info because it wouldn't load. read more
A friend and I visited Kilkenny Castle this past week on a day trip from Dublin with a tour group; it was really interesting, beautiful, and worth a visit! The castle was originally built in the 13th century, but much of it was damaged in the 17th century during the siege of Kilkenny by Oliver Cromwell. Restoration was carried out in the 19th century, so much of what you can see on the tour is from that time. We elected for a self-guided tour. There's a really great audio tour option that you can access by your phone via QR code at the entry. Some of the highlights for me were the Chinese Withdrawing Room (which shows some incredible hand-painted Chinese wallpaper restoration work), the Grand Staircase, the Chinese bedroom, the Moorish Staircase, and the Picture Gallery. I think I took a hundred photos in the Picture Gallery! It was built in the early 19th century but the design is a Castellated Baronial style to hearken back to the Medieval period. And it is stunning. We really enjoyed our quick self-guided tour. It was beautiful. And very convenient to visit from Dublin! read more
4 years ago
What a great first stop in ireland after leaving Dublin Airport. Just a quick 2 hour drive. Same goes for the town of Kilkenny. The castle grounds are epic and a delight to just explore from the outside. Spending the 20 euro for a family of 5 to self guide inside was so worth it. They've done such a beautiful job in the restoration and furnishing to get a glimpse of what things may have been like way back then. Lots of info from room to room. Our 3 kids thoroughly enjoyed it. read more
Not only is it breath taking, but it has a lot of history. We didn't have time to do the castle's interior tour, but we did do a mini 20 minute rundown given by our bus tour guide from the exteriors of the property. We learned that this was the home of Henry the 8th's 2nd wife; Anne Boleyn's grandparents, so in that respect it was kind of fun and intriguing to imagine her perhaps walking along the property during a time where life's possibilities seemed limitless, and before her marriage to the infamous King of England. We learned that in those days, if you wanted to show off that you had money you'd spend in on making your castle look lavish. This one in particular had intricate details engraved in the exteriors and bricks themselves. It's amazing to think that even after so many years, this place is still so beautiful, definitely worth your time and visit. read more
A very impressive castle, built in the 1100's. Renovated and steeped in history. You can take a guided tour or do a self guided tour. We chose the self guided as there are guides to ask questions all over. They eagerly shared the history of the Butler family who owned the castle for about 500 years. There are several women Butlers still alive and anyone with that surname is invited to a yearly gathering at the castle. They had close ties to the royal family, Queen Elizabeth of England. Among the beautiful grounds are crypts where some of the Butlers are buried. Highly recommend you taking time to visit. read more
10 years ago
3 years ago
Kilkenny Castle is restored from the inside. The castle is now beautiful on the inside but was not how it actually looked originally. I think the outside may look the way it did in the past though. The employees here are very friendly. There is no gift shop other than when you initially pay for your ticket. They have a booklet on the castle but that is pretty much the "gift shop". The landscaping is beautiful. I recommend walking out into the front garden to get a nice panoramic view of the entire castle. We arrived in the late afternoon so there was not a lot of people on the outside. We were able to get great pictures without any people in it. The admission cost is 6 euros and you can charge the cost with a credit card. Across the street from the castle is a shopping center. It sells a lot of items and not just items specific to Killarney Castle. read more
There are so many churches and castles in Ireland, but what makes this one different from the others is that it is fully restored. We came on a windy, rainy day (the kind that would flip your umbrella inside out), so the timing was perfect and the admission well worth it. We joked amongst our group that our guide must have been British (sorry)- because he wouldn't allow the group to get caught up in picture taking and wanted us to hurry along. It would've been nice to explore some of the castle on our own. It was quite interesting to say the least. I especially enjoyed the picture gallery hall read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
One of my favorites castles among all castles in Ireland. Mostly because of abundant arts collection and well-maintenance features. Each room in the castle has its unique function and character. It gives me a sense of how a King & Queen lives back in the days. Check out the red room, it has many tapestries and portraits. I especially like the history of the white fire place. The guard there is really knowledgable. You can ask them any questions about those painting and the castle. read more
7 years ago
Did a self-guided tour of Kilkenny castle and enjoyed the history of the castle. As you climb the stairs each floor gets better and better. The gallery room is very impressive. read more
Kilkenny castle is absolutely stunning. I was lucky enough to attend a fantastic talk hosted by DCCoI in one of the gorgeous restored rooms inside one of the castles cylindrical towers. The grounds are so beautiful, the restorations are amazing, and the staff are so friendly. I cannot wait to return here again soon. read more
This castle, but was told, is a classic example of Anglo-Norman castle architecture. Other than that, there's a gift shop across the street, as well as a large open green space where once can sit on the grass and have a lovely picnic. The ancient medieval city of Kilkenny is beyond the castle and an interesting stop for food, shopping and entertainment. There's even a guided tour for the inside if you're into that sort of thing. read more
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