Saturday, August 22, 2026

Ireland – Killkenny


We are staying overnight in Kilkenny (pop 27,184 in 2022), an adorable river town in southeastern Ireland that we visited briefly in 2023 while on a bus tour. Thus, we have plenty of time to sink into the history of the place; we can even skip the Medieval Mile since we've already done that. We hire a taxi for the day.

The Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity (13th century) is right at the top of Kilkenny sites I wished we had seen last time. The Abbey's history is complicated, but concisely explained by the 'welcome' sign near the door:
Dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity
founded by William Earl Marshal the Younger 1225
South transept added early 14th century
East tower built early 16th century
Major restorations carried out 19th century & 1975-79
This is also known as the 'Black Abbey', but unlike the 'Black Abbey' (St Nicholas' Church) that we saw in Adare which was Augustinian; this Abbey's foundation is by the Dominicans. On the other hand, Adare's 'White Abbey' is also named the Holy Trinity Abbey (Trinitarian). It seems the dark wardrobe is more important than the holy affiliation. Another sign helps explain the what's involved (for a deep dive, download Hugh Fenning's "The Black Abbey: 1225-1996", Kilkenny People Printing):
The Abbey, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was founded for the Order of St Dominic by William Marshall, the younger, Earl of Pembroke, in 1225. The tower was built by James Shortall, Lord of Ballylarkin c. 1507. Suppressed and granted to the Corporation in 1543 the Abbey was used for some time as a Courthouse but later fell into ruins. The Dominican Order regained possession in the early 19th century and restored the nave and transept for divine worship. The 13th century stone coffins and slabs at the entrance were unearthed during restoration. The 15th century alabaster statue of the Holy Trinity was found hidden in a wall.
The parking lot is across the street from the enormous Gothic window that fills the gable end of the south transept. It's frighteningly close to traffic. Walking to the east, we see that the Church is oddly 'L-shaped', with no arm for the chancel beyond the crossing tower. A small lawn bordered with boxwoods and flower beds contains a shrine for "Mary Immacuate" (1908). The Priory (1894) also fronts the lawn, with the figure of Saint Dominic in the gable niche.




Inside, we confirm the 'L-Shaped' plan. The entrance is on the south side of the west end of the nave. There is a south aisle, but no north aisle. The nave is three bays and turns at the crossing. The aisle also turns and becomes the west aisle of the south transept. The transept is four bays, so is longer than the nave, though the exterior suggests that it might be five bays (four windows and an infilled bay).

The Church is not on a grand scale, but the space is enlived by a spray of rosy light from the east window beyond the altar. The Gothic arcade looks newer, as do the 'globe' chandeliers, but the tracery in the side windows looks much older. The odd plan layout is obviously the result of the Abbey's history of destruction and restoration. However, the Neo-Gothic window in the left (north) side of the nave, is a survivor from 1862 (according to Fenning) and includes a thin red cross and clear diamond-leaded glass. A statue of "Our Lady of the Rosary" is backlit by that window; praying the Rosary is a feature of Dominican practice.

The 'modern' east window (Dublin Glass & Paint Co, aka Abbey Studios; 1977-1979) abstractly depicts a fiery spiritual energy. The intent may be to represent the Trinity, but we can read it as a Phoenix as well, as this work is from the Abbey's most recent rededication (Feb 11, 1979).

A statue of Saint Martin de Porres (beatified 1962) is to the right of the chancel. just inside the south transept – almost like a lateral chapel at the end of the aisle. A tradition started in 1963, the Abbey holds an annual novena to the Saint, who is cherished by the Irish; he is the patron saint of (among other things) black and mixed-race people, poor people, and social justice – an honorable and much-needed combination is this day and age.

Saint Martin de Porres stands against the east wall, between the first pair of three-lancet, glass windows. We have not been able to establish the authorship or dates for these, or the third one to the right. They date, possibly, from the time of the previous rededication (c1864), as the Prior who led that work died at about the same time (the second is dedicated to him). It's interesting to look carefully and note the various illustrative styles across all three of these windows, easily seen in the faces, and think that they may have incorporated recovered pieces of old glass as well as new.





In the first, Saint Dominic and Saint Pius V Pope (1566-72) flank an image of "The Vision of Saint Dominic" in which the Saint receives the Rosary from the Virgin Mary. The captions under the two Saints read: "Hail Mary Full of Grace" and "Help of Christians Pray for Us".

The next window feature three stories from the 'Marin Cycle': "The Assumption", "I Am the Immaculate Conception", and "The Annunciation". This is dedicated "To the Memory of the Late Mr. Richard Birch of Parliament St. Kilkenny by Mrs. Thomas Grace".

After the first two windows, there's the blank bay that we saw from the exterior, then a stained-glass and a clear glass window, also with a thin red cross. The stained-glass is a three-lancet panel referred to as the "The Jesus Wiindow", and like the 'Marian' triptych shows Jesus at three different stages: "Christ in Majesty" (angels in the sky-blue background), "The Resurrection" (soldiers at His feet), and "The Ascension" (His arms raised). The dedication reads: "Pray for the Soul of the Very Rev. W. D. Connolly O. P." (Prior of the Abbey, 1860-64). And a small 'bonus portrait' has found a home at the top of the tracery – with a slight resemblance to a young Daniel Day Lewis.

We arrive at the east window, the "Mysteries of the Rosary" (Mayers & Co, 1892; top image detail). The super-sized glass shows fifteen 'Mysteries' in three rows across the five lancets. The 'Joyful Mysteries' are in the bottom row: "Annunciation", "Visitation", "Nativity", "Presentation", and "Finding in the Temple". The 'Sorrowful Mysteries' are in the middle row: "Agony in the Garden", "Scourging", "Crucifixion", "Crowning with Thorns", and "Carrying the Cross". And the 'Glorious Mysteries' are in the top row: "Resurrection", "Pentecost", "Ascension", "Assumption", and "Coronation of the Virgin". This is identified as the largest stained-glass piece in Ireland.

The 'Mysteries' are part of a schedule for the prayers of the Rosary. The number fifteen also refers to the Fifteen Rosary Promises, an important aspect of Dominican devotion. The narrative structure is like the Barrington Window (Clayton & Bell, 1858) in Saint Mary's Cathedral (12th-14th centuries) from our recent stop in Limerick. But the details are sblime and pictorial qualities are undeniable, reminiscent of the portrait triptychs we saw in the 'Black Abbey' in Adare, also by Mayer & Co. And we can corroborate the authorship with "Mayer Munich London" under the "Presentation".

The stained-glass work is stunning, and both figuratively and literally approachable since much of it is at eye-level. By contrast, the portraiture and the draftsmanship here is consistently presented and at the highest quality – look at the features of the turned faces in the "Agony in the Garden", the perspectival setting of the "Scourging", and all the intricate work in the Gothic aediculae. The thematic uplift of the center panel that contains (from bottom to top) the "Nativity", the "Crucifixion", and the "Ascension" is marvelous; and it continues higher with the Holy Spirit (dove), the Eye of Providence, and the Marian Crown.




An alabaster statue of the "Most Holy Trinity" sits in a velvet presentation box near the "Mysteries of the Rosary", as Fenning says:
God the Father is shown seated, with the crucified Christ between his knees, and the Spirit descending as a dove from the Father’s chin to the top of the cross. Formerly the figure would have hung at eye-level in its own tabernacle above one of the altars: the high altar, most likely, since the church itself was dedicated to the Trinity. The figures 1264 are clearly cut across the base, but no one seems to know why. Neither the use of arabic numerals, nor the style of the figure itself, would suit so early a date. During the long centuries of the penal era, this alabaster Trinity was walled up in a niche within the church, and came to light again only during restoration work in the early nineteenth century.
An oaken statue of Dominican Saint (likely St Dominic) endures from the seventeenth century, the time of Cromwell's siege, and thus lacks arms, eye, feet, etc. So, as a historical piece, the statue conveys the brutality and the triumph of its survival and is a powerful metaphor for the Church.

A photograph of three shepherd children represents Portugal and Nossa Senhora de Fátima, with Her statue holding the Rosary in a nearby niche.

A two-lancet window shines in the south aisle near the crossing, with images of "Saint Raymond" and "Saint Rose of Lima", as a memorial: "Pray for Miss Kate Connery and Her Aunt Mrs. Jane Connery". Just in front of this is a statue of "Saint Catherine of Siena" in a crown of thorns. Finally, in the west wall, facing into the aisle, another pair of lancets shows "Saint Patrick" and "Saint Brigid of Kildare", two of Ireland's patron saints, along with the request, "Pray for the Donor" – in this case, unnamed.




Saint Canice's Cathedral (13th century) anchors one end of Kilkenny's 'Medieval Mile' that we walked on our last visit – we were able to walk around the Cathedral's exterior but not its interior. The entrance is from a gabled porch on the south aisle. Like many of the Church of Ireland cathedrals we've seen, the ticket counter and gift shop fill a wide space inside. The docent suggests we start our tour in the Bell House (round tower, 9th century), as it is relatively empty now.

Though we're familiar with tall towers by now, the climb is remarkably difficult, up a series of vertical timber ladders, with constricted circular landings. This is the oldest standing building in Kilkenny and one of only two Irish round towers that visitors may climb. There are one hundred and twenty-one steps, and reminders of the count are on the rungs.

The space at the top is limited, too, but the view is expansive. Immediately below, we can see the cemetery grass, dried from the recent drought. We get a plan-like view of the porch, aisle, clerestory, nave, and crossing tower. Most of the important buildings are to the south: Kilkenny Castle (13th century) and the River Nore are east of Saint Mary's Cathedral (1843-57). We compare the size of the Catholic cathedral to the Anglican, and the 'Black Abbey' just in front of it.







Inside, the Cathedral's polychromed and pattered floor is an intriguing contrast to the 'Black Abbey's'; and here the lighting is from the clerestory and flood lights, rather than the natural light and the stained-glass. However, the tomb reliefs embedded in the floor add interest. The first one by the entrance shows the Arma Christi with a 'woven' Celtic cross along with other styles lines near the arcades between the nave and the aisles. A gorgeous but oddly placed decorative iron grating runs up the center of the nave.

The central image of the stained-glass window in the west wall (top, center lancet; William Holland, 1875) is "Christ as Good Shepherd". Other images also speak to Christ's mission to care for His people, such as "Christ Healing the Blind Man" (bottom left), "Wedding Feast at Cana" (top left), "Christ Healing the Centurion's Servant" (bottom right), and "Miraculous Feeding"(top right). The window's stepped lights fit well with the hammerbeam trusses.




Traveling east along the north aisle, a large model of the town fills one of the bays, and other spaces are annoyingly piled with stacked chairs, placards, and temporary barriers. Most visibly, the north wall contains a series of double-lancet stained-glass panels; the three to the east, all by Mayer & Company, form a consistently designed set:
Also in the center bay is the grave lid of Jose de Keteller (c1280), presented upright; he was the father of Alice Kyteler, one of the last 'witches' to be accused of heresy (she escaped her cruel sentence, though her maid, Petronella de Meath, did not).




Unfortunately, the north transept is covered in scaffolding and netting. Saint Kieran's Chair, hide behind this additional layer of chaos, embedded in the northwest corner, which might seem an odd location for such an important seat. The lateral chapel is the Lady's Chapel; the stained-glass for the transept and Lady's Chapel is as follows:
  • north transept: "Moses and the Tabernacle" (left) and "King Solomon Building the Temple" (right, both Clayton & Bell, 1877)
  • Lady's Chapel east: "Faithful Warrior" (left) and "Crown of Life" (right, both Clayton & Bell, 18790
  • Lady's Chapel north: "Holy Baptism" (left) and "Good Soldier" (right, both Clayton & Bell, 1879).
A tomb for two bishops, Hugh de Malpilton and Geoffrey St Leger, holds a central position in the transept, their portraits echoed in the capitals on the columns and at each side of the trefoil arch.





Next to the entrance to the North Chapel, near the chancel steps, is the tomb of Bishop Richard LeDrede, the controversial cleric responsible for the witch trials. In the chancel, the glass design above the altar is based on the original fourteenth century, destroyed by Cromwell's forces in the seventeenth century:
  • north lancet: "Nativity" (bottom), "Christ Healing the Blind Man" (lower-middle), "Agony in the Garden" (upper-middle), "Risen Christ Appears to the Eleven Disciples" (top)
  • center lancet: "Presentation in the Temple" (bottom), "Last Supper" (middle), "Ascension" (two panels, top)
  • south lancet: "Baptism of Christ" (bottom), "Raising of the Widow's Son at Nain" (lower-middle), "Road to Golgotha" (upper-middle), "Empty Tomb" (top)
  • rose at the top: eight angels and the Agnus Dei

The chancel's North Chapel has two windows, on the north and east walls; the east window has stained-glass only in the center lancet (all Nathaniel Hubert John Westlake / Lavers, Barraud & Westlake; 1871)
The Vestry has only an east-facing window (Clayton & Bell, 1876):


The effigy tombs of the Butler Family, the Earls of Ormond who occupied Kilkenny Castle, fill the south transept. The large south window (all Mayer & Co, 1876) illustrates several Old Testament stories:
  • east lancet: "Abraham Sacrificing Isaac" (bottom), "Abraham and the Three Angels" (middle), "Abel Sacrificing" (top)
  • west lancet: "David with the Head of Goliath" (bottom), "Joseph Rules in Egypt" (middle), "Isaac Blessing Jacob" (top)
The tomb of Piers Butler, 8th. Earl of Ossory (died 1539) and his wife Margaret FitzGerald (died 1542) sits below the south window, carved with six Apostles (Philip, Andrew, Simon, Matthew, James Major, and Paul).

The transept's west window has "Good Works" (left) and "Crown of Life" (right, both William Francis Dixon, Mayer & Co; 1904).



We complete the cycle in the south aisle.The "Nativity" in the eastern-most bay is particularly well-known as an Irish Christmas-time postage stamp; as described in the brochure guide, "The halos, night stars and lantern are self-illuminating.":
We take a last look at the hammerbeam trusses, which date from the 1860's, and try to discern a system for the items carved at the ends of the beams: matching pairs of praying priests and angels above the clerestory windows, and floral bouquets at the piers, where the shaped wall posts and braces are taller. The curved rafter braces add to the rhythms and play off the shape of the ribs.





Since we've seen it before, we talk a brief walk around the exterior just to look at the architectural details. The west facade includes a trio of small rose windows that are difficult to see from the inside because of a arch screen at the triforium – the symbols for 'omega' and 'alpha' flank the Star of David.

A large, thick group of yew trees stands in the center of the southeastern graveyard, sheltering a stunning high cross. The parched lawn is quite a contrast to our verdant memories of the place.





Our driver finds us just outside the churchyard and we head east of Kilkenny to the small village of Gowran (pop 847 in 2022). We grab a quick sandwich and wait for our next event.

It's Irish Heritage Week, so the OPW is holding a special presentation called "Deánta in Éirinn" (made in Ireland), focusing on the stained-glass of Saint Mary's Collegiate Church (13th century) made by An Túr Gloine in the twentieth century. The Church is open for this talk, so it's a rare opportunity to get inside.

Before the speaker arrives (he's a little late), we have time to explore the grounds. The north side of the Church faces a small public park; a narrow lane crosses through the park. We enter another graveyard and find a beautifully preserved ruin. The Gothic detailing echoes Saint Canice's, as if the Cathedral had been moved to the countryside and left to nature – and the yews have taken over the yard. The Dúchas sign in front of the church offers this summary:
This collegiate church was built in the late 13th century on the site of an earlier monastery. It was served by a "college"—clerics who lived in a community but who did not submit to the rule of a monastery. They lived in a house, now destroyed, beside the church.

The church was a large and elaborate structure, with an aisled nave (the main part of the church where the congregation sat) and a long chancel (the section of the church where the altar was placed) and has high quality architectural sculpture used throughout. The nave battlements and the upper part of the tower were added in the late middle ages; in the 19th century this tower was incorporated into the parish church which was built in place of the chancel and which now takes up about half of the building. There were also several other changes made to the church at various periods.








The docent arrives and opens the door on the north side of the tower. The tower and east end of the Church are maintained intact; it's the larger portion of the Church to the west that's ruined. This wing consists of the tower, chancel, and altar. But, like Saint Canice's, chairs, tables, and equipment fill the compact space.

On entering the tower, we are faced with a Doric temple-front, in a dark stone with white capitals and triglyphs. Turning to the east (left), the room lengthens into the chancel with a paneled vault and a tile-runner in the floor. Stone tombs and tomb lids leave corridors for movement.

A large sarcophagus or 'table tomb' for two knights, possibly brothers, is in the center of the room. The floor steps up to the altar where another 'table tomb' for a single knight and a trio of carved lids stand. The docent prepares his presentation by the stone pulpit to the left of the steps and projects his power-point on the back of the tower wall.

His talk is thorough and not just about the glass. He describes the entire history of the church and its place in the local history, especially as it relates to the 'Butler Knights', (also in the south transept at St Canice's), beginning with Theobald Walter in the twelfth century, and who moved their family seat from Gowran to Kilkenny toward the end of the fourteenth century. By the eighteenth century, the nave and aisles begin to fall into ruin, but the tower and chancel are sustained and restored in 1826 by William Robertson.





The first stained-glass window is in the north wall and is by Michael Healy of An Túr Gloine (1918). This is a memorial to Lieutenant Aubrey Cecil White (died at the Somme, July 1, 1916, aged 20) and shows his image, in uniform, across from an angel with a crown. The rectangular portraits are on deep, somber blue backgrounds, framed with pale glass, and joined by the ground plane. The insignia for his regiment, the York and Lancaster, is in the quatrefoil.
Be thou faithful unto death
and I will give thee a crown of life.
The glass in the south wall is by Hubert McGoldrick of An Túr Gloine (1920), the so-called "Sorrow and Joy" window. This is a memorial to: "H.J.C. [Hector James Charles] Toler-Aylward D.L. Shankill Castle who died 28 July 1918". A pair of angels is in the predella, one sowing and the other harvesting. The upper register shows another pair of angels, one weeping and the other, with upswept wings. playing music. The panels sparkle with striated and graphically patterned glass, and tiny hidden figures.
He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing [his] sheaves [with] him.
Beside the pulpit is the oldest artifact, the well-known Gowran Ogham Stone (3rd or 4th century), which is inscribed with a cross (6th century) when the Stone was likely inverted.




The docent continues the talk with stories of several important monuments:
Among the monuments preserved inside the tower are 14th century effigies of a noble man (probably the 1st Earl of Ormond) and his wife, a 13th century effigy of a priest, and 16th century altar tombs of the Butlers with effigies of knights in armour and with apostles around the base.
The table tomb for the single knight is from the early sixteenth century. The creature at his feet is likely not a lion, but his faithful and shaggy dog, as on the 'brothers' tomb. The vertical panels display carved reliefs of the Twelve Apostles. We are shocked when the docent lifts the head from the table. Apparently, the heads are carved as separate pieces and explains the missing heads on the 'brothers' tomb.

The three standing lids are also well-known pieces. The one at the right side (14th century), is said to represent either Edmund Butler or his son James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormond. Thus, the figure on the left is the wife, either Joan FitzGerald or Eleanor de Bohun.





The memorial standing near the north widow with the heart-shaped head-dress (16th century) calls back to the image of Margaret FitzGerald from Saint Canice's. This is appropriate since this is likely Sadhbh MacMurrough Kavanaugh, wife of James MacEdmond MacRichard Butler, and Margaret's mother-in-law.

After Cromwell's attack in 1650, Gowran Castle passes from the Butlers to the Agar family, specifically Charles Agar, town burgess, who came into Ireland with Cromwell in 1649. The monumental temple-front under the tower is dedicated to James Agar, Charles' son.




Back outside, the docent opens the gate and leaves us to wander through the ruins. We enter from the north aisle. The arcade on this side is almost fully preserved, four bays to the back of the tower. But the arcade at the south aisle is almost entirely gone except for western-most arch; an extra-thick buttress braces the tower to the east. Memorial tablets line the base of the slope.

The stone surrounds of the triple-lancet window in the west wall are in good condition, with adorable carvings at the tops of the pilasters. Additional memorials are set into the lower portion of the wall, and more tomb lids emerge from the floor.





Looking across the nave at the north arcade, we see that the clerestory is a line of large quatrefoils but the two center bays are infilled. Despite their exposure, the stone piers and pointed arches look surprisingly healthy.

The room in the southwest corner, known as the Kealy Chapel, is now filled with remnants of the Church. In the next bay are the remains of the South Portico. The south wall is broken at the window jambs, but the multi-lobed niches in the lower wall are still there.

The memorials in the northwest corner are dedicated to James Kealy (burgess of Gowran, died 1626) and his wives, Ellen Nash and Mary White (died 1646).





Back in the car, we're headed south towards the village of Thomastown and another heritage site, Jerpoint Abbey (12th century). Its founding by the Benedictines dates to about 1160, but in 1180, it passes to the Cistercians. We arrive at around three to the Visitor Centre just north of the Abbey.

The Abbey is on the east bank of the Little Arrigle, a tributary of the River Nore, tight against the R448 to the west. The Visitor Centre houses the important archaeological salvage, such as tomb effigies and parts of high crosses. So unlike Saint Mary's, this frees the actual historic structure from such duties. The Abbey and its graveyard are on a raised level, up a few steps; the gate is on the north aisle.

Entering, these ruins feel very much like Saint Mary's, though at a slightly larger scale. There's an arcade on the north side, a crossing tower (15th century), a collapsed south arcade, even the buttress at the south corner of the tower. There are six open bays to the crossing, with the remnants of screens in the center that divide the nave for the monks and the lay brothers.

But here, the tower and altar space are part of the ruin, and there are proper transepts, each with a pair of lateral chapels. The crossing and the chancel are covered with stone vaults; the tower's ribbed groin vault still soars and impresses.








A small collection of tomb lids and a high cross remain in the chancel. Traces of an old fresco cling to the north wall above a trio of tomb niches. The tomb effigies are thought to represent, to the right (east), William of Jerpoint, Bishop of Cork from 1265 to 1267 (fingers raised in blessing), and to the left, Felix O'Dullany, the first Abbot of Jerpoint and Bishop of Ossory (died 1202).

The chancel's east wall holds an elegant fourteenth century tracery frame. Rudimentary glazing in the lancets adds protection for the artifacts.

The south wall contains a numbers of smaller niches which consist of an aumbry with a carved center post for the chalice and a triple sedilia with a for the officiating clergy.





In the south chapel of the north transept is a tomb like the 'table tombs' in Saint Mary's, but not as large. The end panel, known as "The Weepers", includes: Saint Catherine of Alexander (with wheel), Saint Michael the Archangel (weighing the souls in a sling), Saint Margaret of Antioch (slating the dragon). The three saints on the longer side panel are: Saint Matthias (with flail), Saint Matthew (with book), and Saint Bartholomew (with flaying knife); and between then a pair of incredibly carved pilasters with vines and floral motifs.

The neighboring tomb includes nine of the Twelve Apostles: Saint Peter (key), Saint Andrew (saltire cross), Saint James (pilgrim's staff), Saint John (no beard), Saint Thomas (spear), Saint Simon (saw), Saint Philip (bread), Saint Bartholomew (knife), and Saint Jude (axe). [Note: a docent later confirms that the missing three are indeed on the other end panel, against the wall.]

The south chapel of the south transept houses two finely inscribed slabs. The first shows two mail-clad knights (13th century) and is known as "The Brethren". On the opposite side is an abbot with a crozier and upraised arms (14th or early 15th century).






The late afternoon light plays over the fantastic architectural details in the nave. The south side open into a square cloister, with arcades on the west and south side. The columns of the arcades feature an amazing variety sculptural figures: monks, bishops, serpents, grotesques, and heraldry.

Little else remains of the south range, except the east wall of the refectory and the calefactory. The chapter house to the east is now employed as a storage room for unsorted fragments.









A doorway in the southeast corner leads from the cloisters to the eastern yard. An additional graveyard lies within an elevated and walled plot around the chancel, with high crosses and whitewashed markers.

The eastern range appears substantial, with few openings to reveal the crumbling buildings on the other side. And with the low sun on the far side, slices of light fall beside the tower and break the shadows.






We are on the road near Killahy and the Booley Hills when we hit the rural rush hour. There's a parade of enormous milk cows silently plodding towards us. When they finally pass, a small boy with a stick brings up the rear.

That respite is welcome as our brains are nearly overflowing with stories and images, and we're starting to wind down.



It's almost five when we reach our final tour stop, the Kilmogue Portal Tomb (c3000BC), south of Kilkenny. The Tomb is compelling without being complicated, which our brains appreciate. A group of gigantic boulders leaning in such a way that must be man-made – but just barely. Protecting the site, fences forms a narrow chute in the corner between two fields, and to the east, more dairy cattle are grazing. The Dúchas sign informs us:
This is an exceptional example of a type of megalithic (large stone) tomb known as a Portal Tomb. Two portal stones—the tallest stones in the tomb—form the entrance to a stone-lined burial chamber, which is roofed by two massive stone slabs, the larger of which lies at a steep angle. A cairn or low mound of stones would have covered most of the tomb, but the capstone probably remained visible.

Known locally as Leac an Scáil, it is sited on flat pasture land above the head waters of a tributary of the river Suir. This was the type of landscape preferred by the builders of these tombs in south-east Ireland. The tomb has never been scientifically excavated. The likelihood is that it was built by Neolithic farmers about six thousand years ago for the burial of important members of their community and perhaps also to be a focal point for a group or tribe.






The drive back to town takes about a half hour; our driver leaves us near our hotel. He's been great company and we've covered so much ground, so much history – the two town churches in the morning, the rural locations in the afternoon, and the megalithic tomb – we're grateful.

We find ourselves on the Butter Slip (the name of a stepped lane) for dinner. After our meal, we slip down to the River Nore for the sunset; the water is astonishingly calm and glassy (we don't recall it that way from our last visit).

Back on Patrick Street, we take our time walking up the hill as an orange half-moon rises over the pubs and shops.




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Location: Friars Bridge, 1 Abbey St, Gardens, Kilkenny, Ireland

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