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HIDDEN GEMS
Ireland’s Medieval Mile. From Castle to Cathedral and everything in between- explore Ireland’s best-preserved medieval city.
Through our interactive map, you can unlock the hidden gems that Ireland’s Medieval Mile has to offer and find out why St Mary’s church
Kilkenny played such an important role in Medieval Ireland.

LOST RELICS
Discover the once-hidden history of this stunning building in the St. Mary’s room through our animated timeline. Through the glass floors, you can catch a glimpse of the foundations of a massive tower that loomed over the city. This room is also home to the amazing artefacts and human remains unearthed during the restoration of the building.

STORIES IN STONE
Discover stories of power and wealth written and preserved in magnificent stone carvings. Our High Cross exhibition introduces the High Kings of Ossory and the foundation of the monastery of Kilkenny by St Canice. The displays describe how Kilkenny has the finest stone sculptural tradition in Ireland extending from the Neolithic period of 5,000 years ago to the modern era.

MEDIEVAL TREASURES
Discover the Kilkenny Room with its magnificent glass window overlooking the city. As you make your way, you will catch a glimpse of external tombs dedicated to other wealthy Kilkenny families. Books, Letters, Petitions, Leases… Kilkenny holds a unique set of civic records, tracing the city’s history right back to the 1200s. The ancient papers and treasures tell fascinating stories about daily life in a medieval city governed by wealthy merchants.
Find the Liber Primus – Kilkenny’s extraordinary medieval town book.

WEALTHY MERCHANTS
Step into the Rothe Chapel and explore the best surviving example of a medieval chantry chapel in Ireland. Around 1560 the Rothes – who were wealthy Kilkenny merchants – built this private chapel. The carvings on the tombs here are unusually well-preserved and provide an insight into the lives of Kilkenny’s most important families.
