Black Freren Gate

Kilkenny City


This is the only gate from the old Norman city walls still standing, albeit with the help of metal bracing these days. Crumbling sections of the old walls remain throughout the city centre.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kilkenny City attractions

1. Rothe House & Garden

0.06 MILES

Dating from 1594, this is Ireland's finest example of a Tudor merchant's house, complete with a restored medieval garden. Built around a series of…

2. Black Abbey

0.07 MILES

Founded in 1225 by William Marshal, this Dominican abbey takes its name from the monks' black habits. Much of what survives dates from the 18th and 19th…

3. Smithwick's Experience

0.08 MILES

Until its closure, Smithwick's was Ireland’s oldest working brewery. John Smithwick founded the business in 1710 on the site of Kilkenny's 13th-century St…

4. St Canice's Cathedral

0.16 MILES

Ireland's second-largest medieval cathedral (after St Patrick's in Dublin) has a long and fascinating history. The first monastery was built here in the…

5. Tholsel

0.21 MILES

Kilkenny's Tholsel (City Hall) was built in 1761 on the spot where Dame Alice Kyteler’s maid Petronella was burned at the stake in 1324 for witchcraft …

6. Medieval Mile Museum

0.25 MILES

Dating from the early 13th century, St Mary's Church has been converted into a fascinating modern museum that charts the history of Kilkenny in medieval…

7. Maudlin Tower

0.39 MILES

One of the surviving corner towers of Kilkenny's medieval city walls.

8. Butler Gallery

0.39 MILES

The Butler Gallery is one of the country’s most important art galleries outside Dublin. Small exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists are…