Kilkenny Design Centre
About
The crescent-shaped former castle stables, built around 1790, housed the celebrated Kilkenny Design Workshops from 1965 to 1988, the state-backed project that did more than anything to shape modern Irish design. Today the building is the flagship Kilkenny Design Centre, a store packed with the work of Irish makers in ceramics, knitwear, jewellery and homeware, with a restaurant upstairs. It is free to enter and a fine bit of architecture in its own right.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The 1790 crescent-shaped former castle stables
- ✓Former home of the Kilkenny Design Workshops, 1965 to 1988
- ✓Irish-made ceramics, knitwear, jewellery and homeware
- ✓Restaurant upstairs and free to enter
Tips
- →Free to enter, opposite the castle in Castle Yard
- →The upstairs restaurant is a handy lunch stop on the mile
- →Opening hours are seasonal; check ahead in winter
Best Season
More Culture Activities
Medieval Mile Museum
Medieval Kilkenny told inside the former St Mary's Church, with the "3 Lives" exhibition.
Butler Gallery
Kilkenny's contemporary art museum in the restored Evans' Home, with a permanent Tony O'Malley collection.
Activity
National Craft Gallery
National Craft Gallery
Ireland's leading craft and design exhibition space, in the former castle stables at Castle Yard.