This tall tower was built in the early 16th century to guard a hospital, founded circa 1327 a little distance from the city. There were high walls and gated access to keep patients in and the hoi-polloi out, because this was a leper-hospital.
About Maudlin Tower
Leprosy, now called Hansen's disease, did (and still does) occur in Ireland but the term was a catch-all for any disfiguring and potentially contagious chronic disease. The biggest threat was Black Death (plague) but that killed swiftly. So you might find yourself cooped up here with a bad bout of scabies, psoriasis or syphilis. Some inmates enjoyed rich furnishings and diet, and perhaps were members of important families who'd become embarrassing in their dotage. The hospital had its own farm, and was associated with St John's Priory, but abandoned at the Dissolution. The tower is well-preserved but there's no interior access, and the rest of the hospital has gone.
Plan your visit
- Where: 30 Maudlin St R95 Y8NE (Kilkenny)
Details sourced from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Published on 29 October 2026 at 12:00 pm