‘Jewel in our crown’ – Kilkenny Castle receives prestigious accolade

Kilkenny Castle has recieved recognition for maintaining the the very highest professional standards.

It has been awarded Interim and Full Accreditation under the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI).

The programme was established to benchmark and promote professional standards, and selection under the MSPI is seen as a major accolade in the sector. Factors taken into account include how museums care for their collections and visitors, as well as governance and management standards, and their education and exhibition programmes.

Local TD John Paul Phelan was informed of Kilkenny Castle prestigious accrediation by the Heritage Council, which he said was “a testament to the continued dedication and professionalism of the Kilkenny Castle team”.

Deputy Phelan (pictured below) added: “Kilkenny Castle is the jewel in the crown of our local tourism offering and I am delighted to learn how impressed the assessors were with the scale and quality of the restoration work undertaken at the castle, as well as the interpretative offer and the development of a wide-ranging activities programme of the highest standard.

“What was very clear to the assessors was how the team at Kilkenny Castle are embedded in Kilkenny and the region’s local tourism network. Their forward planning and commitment to their work has demonstrated clear compliance with all of the criteria and standards of MSPI necessary for the award of Full Accreditation.

“The people of Kilkenny should be enormously proud of Kilkenny Castle and its fantastic team, who I would like to congratulate on this very significant achievement.”