Overview
Castlecomer is one of the few Irish towns built on coal. In the 1630s the landowner Christopher Wandesforde brought over 600 Yorkshire families – miners, ironworkers and weavers – to work the shallow seams beneath the plateau, and the collieries kept the town alive for three centuries until the last one closed in 1969.
The town (Irish: Caisleán an Chomair) sits where the Dinin, Brocagh and Cloghogue rivers meet in north County Kilkenny. It’s the main way into the Castlecomer Plateau, an almost circular upland of limestone, damp glens and Sitka spruce that peaks at 334 m near Rossmore in County Laois. From the higher ground you look down to the River Barrow on one side and the River Nore on the other.
History
The recorded story begins around 1200, when the Norman knight William Marshal raised a motte-and-bailey at the river junction; the town takes its name from that first castle. Wandesforde’s seventeenth-century arrivals laid out the wide Georgian main street that still defines the centre and began working the coal in earnest. At its peak in the early 1900s the industry employed thousands and shaped the architecture, the dialect and the surrounding landscape.
When the last mine closed in 1969 the Wandesforde demesne fell quiet, and in 2007 it reopened as the community-run Castlecomer Discovery Park. The plateau behind the town is older than any of this: part of the ancient kingdom of Osraige and the barony of Fassadinin, its layered past still shows in the hedgerow lines, surviving stone walls and quiet upland villages.
Castlecomer Discovery Park
The park spreads across 80 acres of mixed woodland and two lakes, and entry to the grounds is free. It’s run as a not-for-profit social enterprise, with the car-park income going straight back into upkeep. If you only have time for one thing, make it the zipline: a 300 m run out over the lake, part of the high-ropes Octagon course (combo ticket €35).
- High ropes and zipline – the over-water zipline pairs with the Octagon course; closed-toe shoes are required for all activities.
- Tree-Top Adventure Walk and climbing wall – a 140 m high-rope walk and a multi-level wall for older children and adults. The Skywalk Challenge cost around €25 when last reviewed.
- Junior Woodland Adventure – a low-ropes course built for ages 3–8.
- Orienteering – three marked loops (1.6 km, 2.4 km and 3 km) through the trees; pick up a map at the visitor centre.
- Boating – pedal boats and Canadian canoes on the Upper Lake, up to €16 per boat for half an hour.
- Craft Yard and cafés – a restored stable yard with resident potters, jewellers and stone-carvers, plus the Jarrow Café for hot food and coffee. A second café, the Canopy, opens beside the Elf and Fairy Village in summer.
Two honest notes before you go. Parking is no longer free: the first hour is free, then it’s €4 up to three hours and €5 for the day (an annual pass is €50), with no validation for café customers. And the Coal-Mining Museum in the visitor centre – the part that told the story of the seams – is closed at the time of writing, so the industrial-heritage side of a visit is thinner than it once was. The park also still runs the long-standing Wellie Race, a cross-country dash in wellington boots.
Dunmore Cave
About 11 km north of Kilkenny city, Dunmore Cave is a limestone passage that runs roughly 400 m and drops some 50 m into the bedrock, with stalactites, stalagmites and the cross-shaped Market Cross Chamber. Local legend names it one of Ireland’s three darkest places, and the Annals of the Four Masters record a Viking massacre inside the cavern in 928 AD. One caveat: the cave is closed for essential maintenance at the time of writing, so check the OPW listing before making the drive.
Walking and cycling the plateau
The plateau’s high, quiet ground makes a good launch point for panoramic walks. Designated Special Areas of Conservation protect wetland flora and nesting birds, so the going is peaceful and well suited to birdwatching and gentle hill walking. Access roads radiate from the town: the R448 to the east and south, the N77 to the west, and the N78/R694.
For something longer, the plateau feeds into the Barrow Way, the long-distance trail that follows the river toward the sea; the sections nearest the plateau are mostly gravel and manageable for families. Cyclists have quiet, low-traffic loops on the country roads around the town, signposted and linking into the wider county network.
Nearby
Castlecomer works well as a base for a broader Kilkenny day:
- Inistioge – a riverside village on the Nore, known for its historic bridge and the scenic loop walk.
- Graiguenamanagh & Duiske Abbey – twin towns linked by the Duiske River Walk and a well-preserved thirteenth-century Cistercian abbey.
- Ballyragget – a castle ruin and a marked heritage trail through the surrounding woods.
- Kilkenny City – a 20-minute drive to the medieval streets, Black Abbey and Kilkenny Castle.
Getting there and practical info
- By car: Castlecomer is 16 km north of Kilkenny city. The R448, N77, N78 and R694 give direct access from Dublin, Waterford and Laois.
- Public transport: the nearest rail station is Kilkenny. Bus Éireann runs services between Kilkenny city and Castlecomer; check current timetables for route numbers and frequency.
- Parking: the Discovery Park car park is pay-and-display (first hour free, then up to €5 all day). Limited roadside bays in the town centre.
- Accessibility: the visitor centre and exhibition are fully wheelchair accessible, with three designated spaces near the entrance. Most woodland paths are gravel and manageable, though some courses carry height and mobility restrictions – contact the park for specifics.
Come on a weekday morning if you can. The outdoor activities run weekends-only from September to June, but the woodland trails and car park open at 8.30am every day of the year, and you’ll have the lakes largely to yourself.