By John Fitzgerald
The Kilkenny Heritage Walkers took another step back in time on Saturday. The theme was a series of cast iron plaques mounted in 1844 to mark the dividing lines between city and county.
Though seventeen plaques were forged to define the Borough Boundary, only nine of them have survived and it was these that walkers set out to explore.
Led by indefatigable historian Paddy Neary, the group trod a labyrinth of roads, lanes, tracks, walkways and intersections to view each of the treasured signposts to the past.
The plaques are positioned across the city. Locations include the Castle Park Wall (opposite Fanad B&B), a wall at the junction of Nuncio Road and Kennedy Avenue, and walls on the Kells Road and the Circular Road.
You can them on the Freshford Road opposite St. James’s Park, on the military barracks wall, and at the entrance to Nowlan Park.
Paddy treated the group to a running commentary as they traversed the city, and was attentive to the precise whereabouts of each treasured sign.
Some of them were almost invisible, being faded and weatherworn, but Paddy led the group confidently to each relevant spot, which could be along an unfrequented boreen, or near a housing estate, or in a quiet arboreal hideaway.
One plaque proved more difficult to locate than the others, and everyone joined in the quest to find it on a high moss-encrusted stone wall. Eventually Paddy stood underneath the elusive marker, and the walkers felt vindicated.
He recalled that in 1837 local authorities opted for boundary change and the division of Kilkenny City into wards. The election of November 1843 saw six aldermen and 18 councilors returned to the new corporation. Edmund Smithwich was appointed Mayor, so it was his name that appeared on the boundary plaques forged in 1844.
When Saturday’s “plaque hunt” ended, the walkers applauded Paddy for an especially engaging presentation. He gives a phenomenal amount of his time to bringing the past alive via the weekly outings.
The group commends his tireless commitment to promoting all aspects of Kilkenny’s historic and archaeological heritage.
