Kilkenny's magic underground

UNDERGROUND vaults beneath City Hall are to be restored to their former glory to house the city's valuable archives.

Some work has already begun on the historic stone chambers and it is hoped that the rooms will be open to the public when finished.

Requesting an update on the development of the vaults at this month's meeting of the Borough Council, Cllr Betty Manning said that she was delighted to hear that there was work in progress. "It is a fantastic space with arches. When it is developed it will be terrific for tourism," she said.

Cllr Martin Brett agreed and pointed out that many people in Kilkenny did not know of their existence. "They are part and parcel of our heritage and would be great as an amenity," he said.

Cllr John Coonan reminded members that they had put money aside in the 2010 budget for some of the work after he raised the issue at a previous meeting. "It couldn't be a nicer building," he said.

Cllr Sean O'hArgain said he would love to see the basement restored but pointed out that the front of the building suffered from a lack of interpretive signage. "Tourists don't know what the building is or its history. Maybe the Office of Public Works could look after that because they do it very well," he said.

Director of Services John Mulholland said that they were looking at the basement area to see what they could do with it. "Having it covered up is denying access to a wonderful space," he agreed.

Town Clerk Brian Tyrrell described the space as "a gem that people don't know exists". He also explained that there were a number of issues involved with opening the area to members of the public.

"Access is a problem. We have to get people down there safely but we haven't found the magic answer yet."
He said that some work had been carried with regard to damp proofing and air venting and the area had been cleared out."We have also compiled archaeological and architectural reports and they are ongoing," he said.