Back Castell de Kilkenny Catalan Castell Kilkenny Welsh Kilkenny Castle Danish Kilkenny Castle German Castillo de Kilkenny Spanish Kilkenny gaztelua Basque Kilkennyn linna Finnish Château de Kilkenny French Caisleán Chill Chainnigh Irish Castello di Kilkenny Italian
| Kilkenny Castle | |
|---|---|
Irish: Caisleán Chill Chainnigh | |
 | |
  Location within Ireland | |
| General information | |
| Type | Castle |
| Location | Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Completed | 1260 |
Kilkenny Castle (Irish: Caisleán Chill Chainnigh pronounced [ˈkaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː]) is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland, built in 1260 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol of Norman occupation, and in its original 13th-century condition, it would have formed an important element of the town's defences with four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade.
In 1967, Arthur Butler, 6th Marquess of Ormonde, sold the castle for £50 to the Castle Restoration Committee for the people of Kilkenny. The castle and grounds are now managed by the Office of Public Works, and the gardens and parkland are open to the public. The Parade Tower is a conference venue. Since 2002, ceremonies for conferring awards and degrees on the graduates of the Kilkenny Campus of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, have been held at the castle.