Burnchurch Castle
Burnchurch Castle is situated about 4 miles south west of Kilkenny and 6km from Ballybur, off the Clonmel Road.
Burnchurch is a six storey tower house. The castle was originally attached to a walled courtyard, most of which has now disappeared, apart from a 40 foot high tower at one corner.
The castle has an unusual complexity of passages and chambers inside the walls, including a hidden room in the wall of the fourth floor.. There used to be great hall attached to an outside wall of the tower which has now gone. There is a vault under the castle above which is the main chamber. Access to the upper three floors is via an outside staircase. Other notable features include mullioned windows, a fine carved fireplace and a round chimney which may have been a later addition.
Facilities
The castle is accessible to the public and can be explored.
The castle was built in the 15th century as a Norman tower house with a round gate tower, by the Burnchurch family (a branch of the Fitzgeralds). The castle was occupied until 1817. In 1993, Burnchurch Castle and Tower became a National Monument.