Archive for the 'Rothe House News' Category
RHT provides the genealogy service for Kilkenny City and County. We have recently joined with other counties in an on-line service for users, using a central web-site which will be a one-stop shop for all the available Irish genealogical records on the island of Ireland. This is an initiative of the Irish Family History Foundation, and the site contains 8.6 million birth, baptismal, marriage and death records from the 1600s to the 1900s. The cost of building the database and maintaining the service means that charges will apply to users. The site is at http://kilkenny.brsgenealogy.com
March 25 2008 | Rothe House News | 2 Comments »
Now that the Garden Re-creation is more-or less complete, and the Formal Opening by the President of Ireland will be on April 11th, the next step is the re-presentation of the House in accordance with the Conservation Plan. The first stage of this entails conservation work on the fabric of the House to enable the interpretive plan for the property to be implemented. This will include replacement of staircase, dampness protection in basement, work on windows and doors, plasterwork and ceiling repairs, chimney and roof work, improvement of guttering and drainage, and lift installation. A lot of this work is necessitated by obligations in relation to (a) access for all, and (b) Health & Safety requirements.
Announcement of Grant: We were very pleased recently to read in the press release from the Dept. of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that our project here had been included by the Minister in the list of Heritage Properties to benefit from Government grants this year, in our case €200,000, which will allow us to put these works in hand. The full cost estimate is €406,5oo, so we have a big gap to bridge!
Re-location within the House: The Plan entails much re-arrangement of activities, to enable us to show off the House to its best for visitors. The Library and the Fás project will move to the Third House, which becomes available when the Heritage Council moves to its new location at the Bishop’s Palace. We will try to have all the major changes carried out during the slack period for visitors, as much of the House will have to be closed for a time. So, the aim is to have the transfers to the Third House carried out this coming winter, and the re-presentation completed in the winter of 2009-10.
Funding: We continue to rely heavily on public funding for the cost of the Plan - approx. €3m - but all grant systems operate on a percentage basis, which means we need to be able to source considerable sponsorship from private sources. For this we rely on our own KAS members, our stakeholders in the Trust, and private and corporate donations. So far this has gone well. but now needs to be stepped up as we enter the period of our heaviest investment. Watch this space!
March 25 2008 | Rothe House News | No Comments »
Mrs McAleese will perform the official opening ceremony for Rothe House Garden on Friday 11th April. The bad weather in January and the early part of February delayed the planting of the orchard, but this has now gone ahead this week. Members of the Borough Council’s Parks Department came to the assistance of Mary, our gardener, this week, and rotovated the orchard prior to planting the trees. We’ll be planting the wildflower meadow shortly under the fruit trees, which will provide a riot of colour in the upper garden.
The lower garden is looking fantastic. Mary has been keeping the beds under control, and has been planting vegetables for the summer season. A new greenhouse and potting shed has been built for her to use, and this has spurred her on to seed sowing at a great rate!
Mrs McAleese’s visit on 11th April is a great boost to Rothe House Trust, and we’re delighted that she agreed to come. The visit will allow us to promote Rothe House on a national basis now, showcasing the garden.
February 28 2008 | Rothe House News | No Comments »
Rothe House Trust launched a new Fundraising Campaign just before Christmas, to help with the cost of the Garden Restoration project. You can choose one of the following items to sponsor and in return we will assign a plaque to the item to commemorate you, or someone else of your choosing.
Benches:Handmade wooden benches specially designed for comfort and ease of use. €1,000 each
Oak Trees: Semi mature clipped oak trees 2 metres tall. €600 each
Apple Trees: All old Irish apple varieties, planted in the upper garden. €40 each.
Roses and Shrubs: A wide variety of roses and shubs throughout the garden. €25 each.
Bay Trees: 6 bay trees planted in pots in the lower garden. €200 each.
Cobbles: limestone cobbles to be set in the entranceway at New Building Lane. €100 each.
Simply contact 056 7722893 or email rothehouse@eircom.net for more information on how to take part.
This is your opportunity to support the Kilkenny Archaeological Society and Rothe House Trust in our ambitious project to restore the Garden.
January 03 2008 | Rothe House News | 1 Comment »
Time Capsule
We had a great day last Saturday, 6th October, when we buried our time capsule in the garden at Rothe House. Mayor Marie Fitzpatrick attended, and the occasion was presided over by Dr. Maire Downey, President of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society. The time capsule was actually a beer keg given by Diageo Brewery of Parliament Street. It was made airtight, and pressure tested, before the articles were put in. These included: newspapers, items of clothing, food tins and most importantly of all, a Kilkenny hurling jersey! The capsule was buried deep in the Orchard, and was covered in cement, so that it won’t rise to the surface any time soon. Hopefully it will be uncovered in 200 years time by future archaeologists, and it will give them a snapshot of life in Kilkenny in 2007.
The capsule has been registered with the Time Capsule Society which records all such events in Ireland and Britain.
October 12 2007 | Rothe House News | No Comments »