Kilkenny ‘s City Walls and Talbot’s Tower are undergoing archaeological and refurbishment works in a project launched in 2005 to conserve the city’s old walls.
Presenting the progress to date, heritage officer at Kilkenny County Council, Dearbhala Ledwidge told the members at this month’s borough council meeting that the plans were progressing well with Talbot’s Tower being the main section of national importance. Plans are in place to surround the tower by two green parks. This public space will also host interpretative information about the walls and the tower.
To date funding has been forthcoming for the project from the Irish Walled Towns Network and Kilkenny Borough Council.
The IWTN has to date funded the project to the tune of €445,000 while the borough council has also allocated €72,000 to the project.
Dearbhala Ledwidge said, “the next steps for the project include seeking planning permission to gain access to the tower and the staircase and public parks. There are some structural repairs required to the walls on Abbey Street also. We have applied to the IWTN for more funding, but that funding comes with a condition that twenty five percent of it must be matched by Kilkenny Borough Council.”
Mayor Pat Crotty said, if there is reserve funding of €38,000, the council could use this and receive funding from the network of €114,000.
“There is a total requirement of €1.2 million to complete the project,” Ms Ledwidge estimated. However, she added, “there is no detailed costing of completing Talbot’s Tower. We are roughly half way there. The stone steps will take most of the funding, we believe,”
Cllr Betty Manning who is chair of the sub-committee that oversees the work on the project said that this is a project of huge importance.
“The walls and tower are so important. They are the first piece of military architecture on these islands. It is our project in the city. WE have been quoted €500,000 for work behind the Ormonde Hotel of which the main part is gardening. Are we fighting the battle when we get consultants quotes and are we convinced that we are getting the best price,” she asked.
“This is a huge amount of money. I suggest that if there is someone local who can carryout stonework and work of this nature they should be considered,” she said.
Ms Ledwidge assured Cllr Manning that the value for money was high on the list of priorities.” We sit strongly on consultants in order to get a good price,” she said. “But we also need to get workers who have experience of stonework of this period,” she concluded.
Cllr Sean O’ hArgain appealed to the management of the Ormonde Hotel to open up the city walls behind the hotel.
“The walls are behind very ugly gates and we have little enough of our old walls left.”
Cllr Coonan said, “ Protection of what we have is deeply important. On Abbey Street we must also ensure that the walls are protected - the added traffic can also cause problems,” he said.
Cllr Malcolm Noonan suggested that in a bid to protect the Black Freren Gate, that traffic be restricted to a one-way system.
