The story of Kilkenny Castle

In 1967, the 6th Marquess of Ormonde sold this great castle to the people of Kilkenny for just £50. 'There are already too many ruins in Ireland,' he said. Strongbow built a first castle here, probably of wood, in the 12th century, and the first stone castle, square with a tower at each corner, was completed in 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore.

Three of those four towers still stand. In 1391 the wealthy Butler family bought it, and they ruled the area for centuries. Lady Margaret Butler, born in this castle, was the paternal grandmother of Anne Boleyn.

From 1642 to 1648, the 'Supreme Council' of Confederate Ireland met here, and in 1650 Cromwell's siege damaged the east wall. In 1922, during the Irish Civil War, Republicans were besieged inside, while the Ormondes stayed in their bedroom over the great gate with their pet Pekinese. In 1935 the family moved to London, abandoning the castle for thirty years.