Kilkenny Archaeological Society

The Kilkenny Archaeological Society, which owns Rothe House & Garden, was originally founded in 1849, to promote local history and research.  It expanded to become the South East Archaeological Society, and eventually the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland when it moved its headquarters to Dublin.

In 1945, a new Society was formed in the same spirit as the original Kilkenny Archaeological Society. From that date, it has produced an annual Journal, the Old Kilkenny Review, and has continued its outstanding work in research, study and conservation.  In 1962, the Society purchased Rothe House, a late 16th century Irish merchant’s townhouse, situated on Parliament Street.  They immediately began its restoration, with the assistance of the Office of Public Works, and in 1966, the first House was opened to the public as a museum. The museum displays the fine collection of artefacts collected by the Society since its foundation, which to date numbers almost 2,500.

In the 1980s further restoration work was carried out on the Third House. This was extensive, as the Third House was completely in ruins.  On completion of this work, the House was rented to the newly formed Heritage Council of Ireland who were seeking a Headquarters in Kilkenny. The HCI remained with the Society until May of 2008.

At this same period, the Society sponsored a FAS Local Training Initiative, which is still running. This was set up to compile a database of all the Parish records within the County of Kilkenny.  This information, which was then computerised, forms the basis of the comprehensive Family History service which is now provided, both on-line and at Rothe House (see our Genealogy page on this website).

In 2004, following the commissioning and implementation of its Conservation Plan the management of the House and Museumw was taken over by Rothe House Trust Limited, and the Society has continued its programme of Lectures, Outings and Publications. See www.kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie for more details.

The Society publishes the Old Kilkenny Review annually in December. The AGM in February elects a Council and Officers who meet monthly in the House. The Society operates mainly through a number of committees e.g. Membership Committee, Programme Committee (which arranges a series of lectures and visits), Youth Project (a programme for school-children), a Local History Committee , a Conservation Committee (which reviews planning applications) , and committees to manage the Library and the Museum.  There are plenty of opportunities for members to become involved in activities of their choice.

Membership of the Society is available to all, and includes a copy of the Old Kilkenny Review which is published each December.  The annual subscription is €30.00, with a family membership available at €40.00.   Payment can be made by cheque (made out to the Kilkenny Archaeological Society) or by credit card.  We will be implementing PayPal on this page very shortly, so that it will be even easier to join the Society.