History and conservation of Kilkenny’s medieval walls explored during Heritage Week

Participants were led through centuries of stories and future plans around the walls in an engaging tour

Published 26th Aug 2026, 18:30 BST The tour getting underway at Talbots Tower Participants were led through centuries of stories and future plans around the walls in an engaging tour Sign up to our Kilkenny Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Kilkenny Live within your account.

As a packed slate of Heritage Week 2026 continued in Kilkenny , attendees were treated to an in-depth look at the city’s medieval walls on Friday morning.

Led by Kilkenny County Council ’s Heritage Officer Regina Fitzpatrick, the tour started at Talbots Tower to learn about conversation work on the 13th century building which brought the disciplines of archaeology, engineering and ecology together.

Also present were Conservation Engineer Fiona MacGowan and Archaeologist Colm Flynn who recounted their own work on the project while participants also enjoyed a rare opportunity to take in the view from the top of the tower.

After this, the tour proceeded towards the city centre with a pause to look at an overgrown section of the walls behind the Ormonde Hotel, demonstrating some of the lesser known medieval architecture that still exists in the city.

The next stop was at the old site of the Presentation Convent near the Market Cross where a mausoleum containing the remains of dozens of nuns is hidden behind a portion of the city walls, showcasing the evolving history of the structures to include both medieval and more modern features.

BREAKING: HSE approves Skyclarys reimbursement in huge boost for Kilkenny people with Friedreich's ataxia The final destination was near the Black Abbey where many instances of original architecture can be seen in addition to the church itself.

Stopping at the Black Friars Gate, the last original medieval gate of its kind in the city, several sections of the walls remain, both beside the nearby river and behind the church’s car park.

Though many people will be aware of some of the more well-known sections of the city walls and architecture, the tour highlighted that many other less prominent examples of Kilkenny’s medieval past remain, sometimes hidden in plain sight.

As well as educating attendees at the history of the walls, the tour was put on with the intention of teaching about the work that goes into maintaining these valuable resources and how the Council and other stakeholders plan their protection for future generations, tying in to Heritage Week’s theme of Heritage at Risk.

Speaking to The Kilkenny People after the tour, Regina outlined the maintenance plan for the walls and how the multi-faceted project is being coordinated.

“The plan will identify areas for prioritisation,” she said. “Where the intervention is needed most urgently, how do we go about that, sources of funding for getting it and we’d hope to trim back some of the vegetation around the walls so we can get a better look at it and see what the needs are.”

“But it’s a long-term project. The walls have been here since the 13th century and they’ve had various iterations along the way as Colm and Aoife were pointing out on the tour today.”

“We’d certainly hope they’d be checked in on every six months and bits of work will be taking place on an annual or biannual basis,” she concluded.