Kilkenny's craft and design trail

Kilkenny calls itself the craft capital of Ireland, and unlike most slogans this one is earned. The story runs back to 1965, when the state set up the Kilkenny Design Workshops in the crescent of former castle stables opposite the castle. For the next two decades, until they closed in 1988, the workshops brought in designers from home and abroad and did more than any single thing to shape modern Irish design across ceramics, textiles, silver and furniture. The makers stayed, and the trade put down roots that are still here. Most of the venues below are free to walk into, which makes this an easy half-day even on a budget.

The National Craft Gallery

Start where the workshops did, at Castle Yard. The same crescent of stables now holds the National Craft Gallery, Ireland's leading space for craft and design exhibitions, run by the Design and Crafts Council Ireland. The shows change through the year and range across ceramics, textiles, jewellery, glass and more, always the work of contemporary makers rather than a fixed collection. Entry is free. It is exhibition-dependent and closed on Mondays, so check before you travel.

The Kilkenny Design Centre

Next door in the same building is the Kilkenny Design Centre, the flagship store that grew out of the workshops' legacy. This is where to buy the work rather than just look at it: shelves of Irish-made ceramics, knitwear, jewellery and homeware, with a restaurant upstairs if the walking has made you hungry. It is free to enter, and the building itself, the 1790 crescent stables, is worth a moment of your attention.

Nicholas Mosse and the Bennettsbridge mill

For the craft being made in front of you, drive about 8km south to Bennettsbridge and Nicholas Mosse. The hand-decorated spongeware pottery is made on site in a restored stone flour mill on the Nore, with two floors of pottery to browse and a seconds room that locals make straight for. There are pre-booked pottery tours early in the week that walk you through the throwing and decorating, and the Mill Café for lunch. It is free to visit, and the riverside setting makes it a pleasant run out from the city.

The Butler Gallery

Back in the city, the Butler Gallery on John's Quay is the contemporary art end of the trail. It moved in 2020 into the restored Evans' Home, an 18th-century almshouse, after years inside the castle. The programme is changing exhibitions of Irish and international art, alongside a permanent collection of work by Tony O'Malley, the painter born in nearby Callan. Entry is free, there is a café, and it makes a good wet-weather stop a short walk from the castle.

Out into the county

The craft does not stop at the city limits. A short drive out, the village makers are worth seeking if you have a car and the time. Jerpoint Glass in Stoneyford has been blowing glass by hand for decades, and you can often watch the glassblowers at work. Cushendale in Graiguenamanagh is a woollen mill that has been weaving and spinning on the same riverside site for generations, turning out blankets and throws in their own designs. Both make a natural pairing with a wider loop through the county and its villages.

Doing the trail

You can string the city venues together in a single morning, since the National Craft Gallery, the Design Centre and the Butler Gallery are all within a few minutes' walk of each other. Add Nicholas Mosse, and the county mills, only if you have wheels and a free afternoon. Because most of the venues are free, the trail costs you very little beyond what you choose to buy, which, fair warning, is usually more than you planned. Opening hours shift with the season and the exhibition calendar, so confirm the galleries before you set out.