Photographed By William Murphy - Select Image To View Photographs

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PHOTOGRAPHED MAY 2016

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I have a huge catalog of photographs from 2016 and now ten years later I am reviewing and reprocessing/indexing the files but as the disk contains 2TB of images it is a slow process. I am now publishing photographs from my May 2016 visit to Kilkenny City and it should be mentioned that I used a Sony A7RII.

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The present building dates from the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral in Ireland, after St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Beside the cathedral stands a 100 ft (30 m) 9th-century round tower. St Canice's tower is an example of a well-preserved 9th-century "Celtic Christian" round tower. It is dedicated to St Canice. It is one of only three such medieval round towers in Ireland that can still be climbed to the top, the other two being Kildare Round Tower in Kildare Town and Devenish Round Tower in County Fermanagh.

Following the English Reformation, the reformed church in Ireland was established by decree of the Irish Parliament to become the state church in the Kingdom of Ireland as the Church of Ireland, taking possession of most church property (and so retaining a great repository of religious architecture and other items, though some were later destroyed).

The substantial majority of the population, however, remained faithful to Roman Catholicism, despite the political and economic advantages of membership in the state church. Since St Canice's Cathedral was taken over in this way, Roman Catholic adherents were consequently obliged to worship elsewhere. St Mary's Cathedral in Kilkenny was later built for the Roman Catholic diocese.

The cathedral contains some 16th-century monuments. The architectural style of the cathedral is Early Gothic and is built of limestone. It is richly endowed with many stained glass windows, including the east window which is a replica of the original 13th-century window. The cathedral contains some of the finest 16th-century monuments in Ireland.

Key Features

The Round Tower: One of the few where you can still scale the interior. If you have shots from the summit, they offer that unique "bird's eye" view of Kilkenny’s medieval "Black Abbey" and the Castle.

The Butler Tombs: The cathedral houses an incredible collection of 16th-century effigies, specifically the tomb chests of the Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, and Margaret Fitzgerald. The detail in the stone armor and dress is usually a great test for modern sharpening tools.

St. Kieran’s Chair: A 13th-century stone enthronement chair built into the wall of the nave.

The East Window: While a replica, the glasswork is designed to mimic the 13th-century original that was famously destroyed by Cromwell’s forces in 1650.

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