ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP AN Taisce don’t agree with Kilkenny County Council’s findings that three buildings on Vicar Street aren’t medieval, and they’ve presented their case to the Government.
Last week the local council released findings from two investigations they’ve commissioned which said that earliest parts of the house dates back to is the 17th century.
The council said that due to the dispute over the age of the building, they made a decision not to demolish it as part of road reconstruction that is being undertaken nearby.
An Taisce welcomed the decisions by the council saying that that it came as a result of “constructive dialogue” between the pair.
Despite this, they argue that their own archaeological report found that parts of the building date back to the Renaissance period of the 16th century and there is a case for them to be made into a national monument;
Archaeological experts studying the recently exposed structural remains at 22 Vicar Street have documented a cut-stone window and a chimney dating to the late 1500s / early 1600s akin to those in Kilkenny’s well-known Rothe house. The experts, John Bradley and Cóilín Ó Drisceoil, have set out the justification for designation as a National Monument in a detailed 22 page report submitted today to the Minister.
“Structural remains dating to this period are rare in Ireland and unquestionably worthy of being declared National Monuments and being preserved where they stand”, said An Taisce’s Mark Clinton.
A local councillor in the area has also said the council is being disingenuous in claiming that they are keeping the disputed gable wall intact because of ”strong views”.
The Green Party’s Malcolm Noonan says that they are retaining the buildings because they have been told of their archaeological value.
“The local authority has been informed of the importance of the site and is throwing a bone to heritage groups by stating that it will ‘preserve’ the gable wall along the edge of a very busy road where over 1,000 HGV’s a day will pass,” Noonan claims.
An Taisce’s submission to the Minister for Arts and Heritage Jimmy Deenihan is asking him to confirm it as a national monument at the site to provide it with legal protection.
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