Co. Kilkenny, Ireland
Burnchurch
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Outside of Kilkenny township, about 5 minutes drive from Kell’s Priory.
52.5756° N, 7.2971° W
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None designated.
Park at the pedestrian gate by the tower house and walk over to the church.
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The graveyard is open to walk around although the church door is padlocked.
The tower and turret houses say “No Trespassing” but have a very nice pedestrian gate and signage that suggest otherwise. These are both locked as well.
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Pros: Off the grid so don’t worry about crowds. Great photo ops.
Cons: Not much to see and what there is is locked.
History
Burnchurch was an unexpected treat. Legend has it the first building on the site dated back to the 6th century but was burned during a raid by Robert the Bruce, hence the area became known as “Burnchurch”.
There is a surprisingly intact tower house from the 15th century on the property with signage that explains the different levels of the house. A couple hundred feet away is a turret tower. Both are locked unfortunately.
Across the street, you’ll find a condemned Protestant church from the 1800’s who’s ceiling has fallen in, surrounded by a much older graveyard. The site wasn’t extensive, but it was very serene (probably because the location isn’t on a map), there’s plenty of tombstones to check out, and the dilapidation made for some great pictures.
