Maudlin Castle

Kilkenny, Ireland, Ireland

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Maudlin Castle is a well-preserved 16th-century tower house on Maudlin Street in Kilkenny and is a designated National Monument of Ireland. It originally formed part of the medieval Hospital of St. Mary Magdalene, one of the most important leper hospitals in Ireland, which served people suffering from leprosy and stood just outside the historic city walls. The surviving tower rises about 25 metres high and has four storeys, a stair turret, defensive features, and thick stone walls. It was built in the early 1500s to help protect the hospital complex, which also included a chapel, graveyard, farmland, and a gated enclosure. Today, Maudlin Castle is an important reminder of medieval healthcare and urban life in Kilkenny. Although only the tower remains, it stands as one of the city's most distinctive historic landmarks and offers a fascinating glimpse into Ireland’s medieval past.