Irish Walled Towns Network Grant 2025
Kilkenny County Council has been awarded €14,000 from the Heritage Council through the Irish Walled Towns Network Interpretation and Events grant programme. This will co-fund the development of an interpretation plan for Kilkenny’s City Walls. The aim of this project is to develop a knowledge-based, strategic approach to the interpretation of Kilkenny’s City Walls. As part of our public consultation on the interpretation of the walls, Kilkenny County Council are hosting two walking tours. The tour will begin outside Kilkenny Castle on the Parade and end outside St. Canice’s Cathedral. For more information and booking see: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1374194214889?aff=oddtdtcreator
If you cannot join one of the tours, you will still be able to give your views through an online survey which will be issued in June. Additional tours to go through the draft plan will be held during Heritage Week in August.
Community Monuments Fund 2025
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, have announced the 122 projects that will be awarded €7.5 million in funding under the 2025 Community Monuments Fund. Just under €500,000 of this fund has been awarded to seven projects in County Kilkenny. These grants help owners and custodians of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future. The Community Monuments Fund supports a range of initiatives to conserve, maintain, protect and promote local monuments and historic sites. This investment safeguards monuments for the benefit of communities and the public. It does so by enabling conservation works and repairs as well as building resilience through protecting monuments from the effects of extreme weather and climate change. The scheme also encourages public access and improvements to the presentation of local monuments. The projects awarded funding include: St Colemans Church, Churchclara; St Catherine’s Church, Rathbeagh; Kilree Monastic site; Grangefertagh Medieval Church and Kilbeacon Cemetery.
Biodiversity Data Centre Recruiting
The National Biodiversity Data Centre is recruiting for the post of Local Authority Biodiversity Data Liaison Officer. This post, supported by the Heritage Council, will be a vital link to ensure efficient transfer of biodiversity knowledge between the NBDC and the local authorities.
The application link is below – we’d be grateful if you could bring this to the attention of anyone you know who may be interested.
CALL TO ACTION – Information needed on Kilkenny’s Mass Paths
Kilkenny Heritage Office is excited to be entering Phase 3 of the Kilkenny Mass Paths Project.
Over the last two years we have gathered information on Mass Paths all over our county and this year we aim to document and map many more. We are looking for your help in identifying Mass Paths in your area. If you – or a relative or neighbour – has any information on Mass Paths, please get in touch with us today.
We are looking for photographs, memories, tales and place names associated with Kilkenny Mass Paths, so do reach out to us. If you have already been in touch, we’ll be calling you soon, but do please feel free to get in touch again to have a chat about your nearby Mass Path – we’d love to hear from you.
Contact us on: heritage@kilkennycoco.ie
Launch of ‘Lingaun Loop’ Bus Service
This summer Kilkenny LEADER Partnership is piloting an exciting new initiative in the Lingaun Valley: a free bus service designed to ease access to the sites of that beautiful and heritage-rich area of southwest Kilkenny and the adjacent part of Tipperary. Commencing on 31 May 2025, the Lingaun Loop will operate five times a day, seven days a week, free-of-charge, linking with existing bus services to bring visitors into the heart of this lovely valley to find ancient sites, village history, castles, hikes, and local cafes. Full details of the Lingaun Loop route map and timetable here: Lingaun Loop · Kilkenny LEADER Partnership
Kilkenny Castle Events
Kilkenny Castle are hosting a series of events over the month of June including Run with Ray in the Castle Park on 18th June; Yoga in the Park on 21st June and the Kilkenny Motor Club Display on 22nd June. For more information on these and other events see: https://www.kilkennycastle.ie/events/
OHNI Annual Meeting Programme
The programme for the OHNI 2025 Annual Meeting taking place in the Absolute Hotel, Limerick 13-14 June is now available to view: https://oralhistorynetworkireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/OHNI-2025-Annual-Meeting-draft-programme.pdf. This year’s meeting is based on the theme ‘What we say and how we say it: exploring words, silences and language in oral history’. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr Steven High, Professor of History at Concordia University in Canada. Dr High will speak on the topic ‘Oral History as a Community of Practice: Creative Approaches to Interviewing and Interpretation’, and will also facilitate a workshop.
Full details on the conference and registration are available on our website https://oralhistorynetworkireland.ie/2025-meeting.
