Kilkenny's Toil and Trouble Festival

17/09/24 16:32

Kilkenny County Council Library Services are marking the 700th anniversary of the Kilkenny Witch Trials  by offering a wide ranging  programme as part of "KILKENNY'S TOIL AND TROUBLE" Festival  with Library events offering a perfect blend of historical education and entertainment for the whole family taking place from July to November this year.

Featuring author visits, children’s art  workshops, candle making sessions, primary schools history workshops, plant lore workshops, walking tours, oral history sessions and an educational schools activity pack.

There will also be an exhibition In the Mayfair library suitable for the whole family. Events will take place in eight libraries across county Kilkenny.

Step back in time to 1324 and uncover the chilling tale of Ireland's first Witchcraft Trial. Dame Alice Kyteler was the first woman to be condemned for witchcraft in Ireland. Alice, along with some of her associates was tried and convicted of heresy but, being a very wealthy woman, was rumoured to have escaped Ireland. Her maid Petronella de Meath was not so fortunate and confessed to crimes of heresy after she was tortured, found guilty and was the first person in Ireland executed for witchcraft in Kilkenny on the 3rd of November 1324.

Pre-booking is essential. Booking will open at 9am on Tuesday 24th September. Places are limited, so early booking is advised.

Links to pdf brochure here:  Final-Alice-Kyteler-page-1.pdf (size 8.1 MB) Final-Alice-Kyteler-page-2.pdf (size 6.9 MB)

LIBRARY EVENTS:

Date: Tuesday November 5th

Time      6.30-7.30pm

Venue  Mayfair Library

• Niamh Boyce and Helena Duggan in Conversation: Join Niamh Boyce author of “Her Kind” and local author Helena Duggan (A place called perfect) who will bring the enthralling story of the Kilkenny Witch Trials to life. Their extensive knowledge of the people and places involved in this significant historical event will make for a fascinating evening of conversation and insight. Booking Details Please contact Mayfair.Library@kilkennylibrary.ie or phone   056 77 94174 to book a place.

Admission: Places are free please phone or email Mayfair Library to book

Date: Thursday October 31st

Time      2-4pm

Venue  Mayfair Library

Spell Candle Making Workshop: Join us in the Mayfair for our “Create a Spell Candle Workshop”. Create your own bespoke soy wax candle with a unique blend of aromatherapy, crystals and dried flowers. Booking Details Please contact Mayfair.Library@kilkennylibrary.ie or phone   056 77 94174 to book a place - places are limited.

Admission: Workshop is suitable for teenagers age 14+ Places are free please phone or email Mayfair Library to book.

Dates:

Tuesday October 29th-Mayfair Library

Wednesday October 30th-Loughboy and Castlecomer Library

Thursday October 31st-Urlingford Library

Friday November 1st Ferrybank & Graiguenamanagh

Time      Please contact individual branches for times and to book a place

• Children’s Art Workshops: Taking place in various libraries throughout Kilkenny with the expertise of professional, visual artist Rachel Burke. The workshops will utilise various materials to create puppets and collage in response to the Kilkenny Witch Trials

Admission: Suitable for children age 8+ Places are limited and allocated on a first comes basis. Contact: ferrybank@kilkennylibrary.ie, Mayfair.Library@kilkennylibrary.ie, castlecomer@kilkennylibrary.ie, graiguenamanagh@kilkennylibrary.ie, loughboy@kilkennylibrary.ie & urlingford@kilkennylibrary.ie

Dates:

Graignamanagh – Tuesday 22nd October 

Castlecomer – Tuesday 29th October 

Mayfair – Thurs 7th November 

Time      6.30pm – 8.00pm

• Plant Lore Workshop: Artist and ecologist Monica Fleming will be discussing the types of poisonous plants, herbalism and remedies that were used in medieval times. Learn about the medicinal qualities and folklore of native plants which were an important part of Alice Kyteler’s story.

Admission Free. Booking Details Booking Required. Contact graiguenamanagh@kilkennylibrary.ie, castlecomer@kilkennylibrary.ie, Mayfair.Library@kilkennylibrary.ie

Dates: Friday October 18th, Tuesday October 22nd, Wednesday October 23rd & Thursday October 24th

Venues Thomastown, Graiguenamanagh, Ferrybank, Castlecomer,Urlingford, Loughboy and Mayfair Libraries

• Primary School Talks: Join Finn Dwyer a published author and creator of one of Ireland’s most popular podcasts “The Irish History Podcast”  He will bring the story of the Kilkenny Witch Trials to life in an engaging and accessible way for a young audience.

Booking Details: These talks will facilitate primary school classes during term time. Libraries will liaise with their local schools.

Admission: Bookings will be organised directly from the library to its partner schools

Dates: 1st -15th November

Time      Accessible During Mayfair Opening Hours

• Kilkenny Witch Trials 700th Anniversary Exhibition: We invite you to explore Kilkenny’s medieval past with an exhibition incorporating artwork from Cartoon Saloon, Story of the Kilkenny Witch Trials 1324

No Booking Required

• Mná Feasa/Wise Women is an inter-generational women's oral history project faciltiated by Kilkenny County Council's storyteller in residence Helena Byrne. Inspired by the absense of women's voices in the surviving accounts of the Kilkenny Witch Trials 700 years ago, this project aims to give voice to the experiences of women in Kilkenny in the 20th and early 21st Centuries through recording oral histories and training transition year students to record the stories of their elderly relatives.Helena will be encouraging older women of Kilkenny to share their memories and experiences of life as women growing up in the county. From exciting moments in history to simple day-to-day activities, your childhood memories, old wives’ tales, stories of school days and academic expectations, marriage, working life, family and everything in between. With your help, we can record and preserve this invaluable part of our local heritage for many generations to come. Helena will also meet with female transition year students for a series of workshops. These will cover various creative skills and introduce them to the art of oral storytelling culminating in the production of a podcast series and a storytelling performance.

Venues: Graiguenamanagh and Loughboy Libraries.

For more info contact storyteller@kilkennylibrary.ie

Date: Tuesday 2nd July Time   6:30-7:30pm

Author talk with Maeve Brigid Callan - Dawn of the Devil- Worshipping Witch: Author of The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish: Vengeance and Heresy in Medieval Ireland. In the volatile fourteenth century, Ireland witnessed heresy trials that would reverberate through time. Among them, the celebrated case of Alice Kyteler and her associates, prosecuted by Richard de Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory, in 1324.

Dates: Friday 5th July & Saturday 17th August

Time      9.30am – 3.30pm

Kilkenny Witch Trials walking tours with Fin Dwyer Irish History Podcast: Walking tour visiting various sites around Kilkenny from the Medieval period, retracing the footsteps of  Alice Kyteler and telling her story.  Bus trip to Kelly Priory, St. Canice’s Cathedral, lunch at the Mayfair Library, stopping at Kytelers, Medieval Mile Museum and finishing at Kilkenny Castle

For full details of all things Toil and Trouble happening in our libraries go to  https://content.kilkenny.ie/toilandtrouble/index.html  and follow us on social media.

All of the projects have been funded by Creative Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media's local authority Commemorative Grant