The Priory is known as ‘Seven castles of Kells.’ It is located on banks of the Kings river 0.5km east of
Kells village and - 15km south of Kilkenny city. Geoffrey Fitzrobert was a knight in the service of William Marshall, an Anglo Norman soldier and statesman. William Marshall was the lord of Leinster, known as Strongbow. He gifted much land to Fitzrobert. In total, Fitzrobert was gifted over 4,000 acres of land throughout Leinster. Geoffrey decided to build a motte-and-bailey castle where the Priory can be seen today.
The priory was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Geoffrey brought four canons over from Bodmin priory in Cornwall to establish a community outside his borough of Kells. The canons were given a site; St Keirans church and farms were built on this site. It remains one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland today. In 1252 Kells Priory was burned by Sir William of Birmingham. The remains of the priory include a nave, chancel, lady chapel,
cloister, priory’s infirmary, workshop, kitchen, bread oven and mill, 6 towers and a gateway. It is located on 3 acres of land.
Sources
www.monastic.ie/history/kells-augustinia
https://www.discoverireland.ie/kilkenny/kells-prioryn-priory/
https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/kells-priory
St Kieran's Church was a catholic church. It was built between 1640-1660, and it closed down in 1844. It is one of the oldest surviving churches in Kells.
St Kieran’s Church is located beside one of Kells most popular landmarks, Kells Priory. The walls of the church are still standing today, but without a roof. It is now overgrown on the inside.
Sources-
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/
https://kilkennyarchaeologicalsociety.ie/
Sources-
https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/
Hutchinson’s Mill, also known as Bolands Mill, was built between 1790-1810. It took 20 years to build. This large scale mill details Kells rich industrial heritage. Hutchinson’s mill is one of two mills located along the Kings River, which supported the agricultural economy of the locality. It’s structure has been well preserved. The waterwheel which was used to power the mill still works, detailing the engineering significance of the building.
The Hutchinson family ran the mill for over 100 years. It was owned by Richard Hutchinson from the mid 18th Century, until he became ill. It then passed to his nephew, also called Richard Hutchinson. On becoming ill, Richard then left the running of the mill to his daughter Lily Hutchinson. Census records from 1911 show that at this time Lily Hutchinson, who was now widowed, was a member of the Church of Ireland. She was owner of numerous properties in the local area, as well as having two hired Roman Catholic servants. This details the wealth of the Hutchinson's family.
A Brief History of Kells, Co.Killkenny by Albert Smith 1993
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Kilkenny/Kells/Kells/1445717/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Kilkenny/Kells/Kells/563188/
History
Mullins Mill, more commonly known as the Kings Mill, was established in 1782 by the Mullins family. In 1785 the Mullins family built a thatched cottage as their residence across the road from the mill.
The Mullins were a Roman Catholic family of millers from France who moved to Ireland after escaping the Revolution. This family were very respected and ran the Mill for generations. 1901 Census records detail the families wealth, as records show their occupations as being farmers and merchants. They also employed a servant in the homestead. The mill was greatly affected when the last member of the family, Patrick Mullins, died. The mill, which once milled wheat and corn, ceased operations in 1966, just one year after the death of Patrick.
Mullins Mill is the oldest of two mills in Kells and ran for the longest time. It is known locally as Kells Mill and Kings Mill. Although no longer used as a mill, the building is currently in use as a restaurant, having previously been used as a cafe for a number of years.
Mullins Mill is a detached, four-bay, three-storey building with a two-bay, two-storey lean - to, which was once the mill managers house. In 1997 the building was restored, as it had begun to crumble and now, you can see the mill just as it looked on the outside when it was originally built.
After its renovation in 1997, the Mill became home to Jen's Cafe on the upper floors. The cafe had to close due to covid in 2020. This left the mill empty. Kings Mill Restaurant opened in the cafe's place in January 2021. This restaurant is now very successful and known for its pizza throughout Kells.
Sources
Kells Bridge
The Kells bridge was built between 1500 and 1658, and can be seen on the Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Kells. As is clear from the arches of the bridge, it was built in two phases. The first phase was completed in 1658 and features eight round - headed arches. In the 18th century the bridge was widened. Three large elliptical - headed archers are now seen to overlap the central arches of the earlier bridge.
On the 16th of May 2020, a tractor pulling a silage trailer crashed into the bridge and it took 6 years to rebuild.
Sources
As the Kings River flows through the village of Kells, there is an abundance of wild animals living in the river and along its banks.
The Common Kingfisher is a protected specie in Kells, as is the Barn Swallow.
Other animals that are seen to inhabit Kells are birds such as the Black Billed Magpie, Bullfinch, Chiffchaff and Common Pheasant, to name but a few.
Crustaceans such as the freshwater white-clawed Crayfish and the Gammarus also live in the river.
There are an abundance of plants, moss, and insects that are recorded by Biodiversity Ireland in Kells.
St. Brigid's National School, Kells, Co. Kilkenny R95WK84 | Phone: 056 772 8476
