This year marks 60 years since Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin was blown up in March 1966. But did you know that part of the monument’s original granite plinth ended up here in Kilkenny?
Our TY Local History students visited Butler House to explore the surviving lettered stones, now arranged around the garden pond. We were very grateful to Head Gardener Tommy Falsey for his fascinating insights into their history, as well as the remains of the historic city walls and Butler House itself, originally built as a dower house for Lady Eleanor Butler, who lived there after the death of her husband, the Duke of Ormonde.
Students enjoyed examining the lettering and identifying references to three of Nelson’s famous naval victories: Copenhagen, Cape St Vincent and the Nile. These stones once formed part of the base of the towering monument on O’Connell Street, before finding an unexpected, hidden home in Kilkenny following its destruction.
A wonderful example of how a dramatic event in Irish history left behind an unexpected piece of heritage in our own city.
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