Civic reception for heritage group
BY JOHN FITZGERALD
A civic reception for the Kilkenny Heritage Walkers celebrated the group’s achievement in boosting interest in local history and the stories of our treasured “Old Medieval City.”
Mayor Joe Malone welcomed a large gathering of seasoned walkers on Saturday. The group recently marked the occasion of its 600th walk, and the 12th anniversary of its founding. It was a former Mayor, Sean O’hArgáin, who helped to get the idea of a walking tour group off the drawing board and make it a reality.
Today, the weekly educational fun walks attract increasingly larger numbers of locals… fired up with enthusiasm to learn more about our multifaceted heritage…about the dark days, the high points, the lords, ladies, and noble folk, the David versus Goliath showdowns, the injustices and anomalies of social division, how our ancestors lived in bygone times…all the ups and downs of an ever-evolving historical process that has taken us to where we are in 2024.
The reception at City Hall was the culmination of several hours of touring the city in lashing rain and cutting icy breezes. Throughout the downpour, an undaunted Paddy Neary guided the walkers from one notable Kilkenny building or historic site to another. Included were the 13th century national monument that is St John’s; Priory, the charter for which was granted in 1211 by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
Paddy, undeterred by remorseless rain and wind that battered the pavement around him, recounted how St John’s itself weathered the many storms that threatened its existence down through the ages: Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, the arrival of Cromwell in 1650, the demolition of its nave and two towers in 1780, following which the stone was used to build a military barracks in Kilkenny.
Paddy reminded the walkers that the present Courthouse Building in Parliament Street was once the stately Grace’s Castle; built before 1210. From about 1566 it was used as a jail.
From 1796 it accommodated a county and city jail and a courthouse. Though most of the original edifice has disappeared, it remains an architectural gem in the City. The shadowy remnants of the cell structure linger to remind passers-by of darker days.
The Black Abbey presented another portal into the past, its presence as captivating as it was when it first rose out of the earth in the 13th century. Its name stemmed from the black cloak that the Dominicans wore over those snow white habits.
Paddy Neary recalled its tumultuous history. Clergy succumbed to the ravages of the Plague, before facing persecution under the reigns of Henry the VIII and Elizabeth II. Cromwell didn’t like the look of the Black Abbey either, and even stabled his horses in it to show his displeasure with the “enemy faith.” In 1864 it was, to the relief and delight of Kilkenny folk, re-consecrated, getting a new lease of life after staving off a host of adversaries.
As if a succession of political and ecclesiastic challenges weren’t demoralizing enough, the abbey was prone to flooding too, as pictures of the great 1947 flood reveal, with boats taking away precious chalices and other sacred vessels.
Like the abbey, the Black Freren Gate derived its name from the distinctive clerical garb. The Heritage Walkers paused to admire this surviving remnant of Kilkenny;s medieval past, and also the stretch of the old town wall that still stands, thanks to dedicated people like former Mayor Betty Manning whose term in office was distinguished by a relentless drive to preserve local antiquities.
The friars at the Black Abbey reputedly had a key to the gate, and Betty herself proved to be a metaphorical key to saving what remained of Kilkenny’s medieval heritage. At City Hall, the Mayor alluded to her memorable role, in addition to commending the Heritage Walkers for their weekly outings to explore that “Other Country” of yesteryear.
Marianne Kelly, a devoted member of the group from day one, spoke also of the social side to the outings. Many friendships had been made on the walks, she said, and the lively get-togethers after each outing. She paid tribute to members who’d passed way over the twelve years of trekking and exploration.
The walks will continue every Saturday, starting mainly from the Horse Trough on the Parade at 11 am.
All welcome.
