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Photo: Adrienlesgo at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
This Augustinian Priory founded in 1193 is one of the most intact in Ireland, not least because it was fortified with stout walls and towers after two or three destructions. Most of the remains are within the inner monastic precinct; beyond, Burgess Court is the walled field which today holds sheep, as it probably did back then. There's parking right by the priory but it's more attractive to approach along the riverside from Mullin's Mills. This isn't the place with the beautifully decorated Book of Kells — that's in County Meath and the Book is in TCD Library, Dublin. "Kells" or "Kil-" indicates the cell or abode of a monk, which would later become the site of a church and settlement, so it's a common placename.
Kells Priory is one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells in the townland of Rathduff (Madden), about 15 km south of the medieval city of Kilkenny. The priory is a National Monument and is in the guardianship of the Office of Public Works. One of its most notable features is a collection of medieval tower houses spaced at intervals along and within walls which enclose a site of just over 3 acres (12,000 m2). These give the priory the appearance more of a medieval fortress than of a place of worship and from them comes its local name of "Seven Castles".
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