Restoration Tour of Rothe House & Garden

A special Heritage Week tour about the saving and restoration of a 16th-century property and a vital piece of Kilkenny's built heritage.

This tour will guide you through the history of Rothe House and the landmark restoration of its three buildings and beautiful garden.

The restoration of the first building in the 1960s was the first project of its kind undertaken in Kilkenny and, in many ways, was a ground-breaking project on the island of Ireland at the time.

After all three buildings opened to the public in 1995, the final big restoration project was the Renaissance garden. In many ways this project was also of huge national importance; this restoration was the first time the garden archaeology of an early townhouse in Ireland was ever examined. It is now Ireland's only restored Renaissance garden - an oasis in Kilkenny City.

As part of this guided tour, you will also get the chance to hear first-hand from some of those who were involved themselves or whose parents were involved in the restoration of Rothe House.