Shankill Castle and Gardens is set in parkland near Paulstown on the Carlow/Kilkenny border. Visitors are invited to walk in the grounds and gardens, and there are guided tours of the house.[1]
Shankill Castle started as a Butler tower-house near the ruins of an old church. Peter Aylward bought the lands from his wife's family, the Butlers, in 1708, and it was rebuilt and set in a formal landscape with a vista to the front and canal to the rear. In the 19th century, it was enlarged and castellated, serpentine bays added to the canal, and an unusual polyhedral sundial given a place of pride on a sunken lawn. Other additions were a gothic porch bearing the Aylward crest and a conservatory.[2] The stable-yard and the castellated entrance to the demesne are attributed to Daniel Robertson. The interior preserves much of its 18th-century character and features including a Georgian staircase, Gothic plasterwork, and a Victorian drawing-room.
A branch of the Butler family, the Toler-Aylwards resided at Shankill until 1991 and some still live in the area of Kilkenny. Shankill is now home to the artist Elizabeth Cope[3][4] and her husband Geoffrey. They have three children Phoebe Cope McCosh,[5] Reuben Cope, and Sybil Cope. Shankill Castle hosts a residency programme for artists and creative professionals through ResArtis.[6]
- ^ "Shankill Castle | | Paulstown, Kilkenny". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Archive: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage". www.buildingsofireland.ie. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Home". Elizabeth Cope :: Artist. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Smith, Andrea (7 November 2014). "From Brazil to Ballinskelligs: Elizabeth Cope and Phoebe". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "Phoebe Cope :: Gallery I". www.phoebecope.com. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ "Home | ResArtis". www.resartis.org. Retrieved 21 August 2019.