Discover Slieveroe

Slieveroe brings together Irish local history, architectural heritage and the landscape of the River Suir valley. When choosing a hotel, it helps to know what makes the area distinctive: its attractions range from medieval architecture and the glassmaking history of Gorteens to the boules court and biodiversity plantings in Slieverue Linear Park. The annual Eigse Sliabh Rua – Uí Dea Festival also celebrates the area’s cultural heritage. This allows you to choose the focus of your stay according to your own interests.

Getting your bearings and the landscape

Slieveroe lies just off the N25, a national primary road between Waterford and New Ross. Check the current route before setting out. The area also lies in a broad valley connected to the estuary of the River Suir. The hilly landscape slopes down south towards the River Suir. The road and the landscape therefore offer two different reference points for planning your journey.

Church and local history

The Catholic Church of the Assumption stands in the centre of the village. Its cemetery features artistically designed gravestones. High-quality stonework and attractive ironwork characterise the gateway and shape the streetscape. The church, gravestones and gateway reveal different aspects of local history: the Catholic building, the cemetery and the design of the street.

Slieveroe is also known as the birthplace of John O'Donovan (1809–1861), an Irish scholar. He translated the ancient text Annals of the Four Masters into English. The area is therefore also associated with Ireland’s scholarly history.

Kilmurry Castle and Gorteens

Kilmurry Castle consists of a small late-medieval residential tower and an adjoining two-storey dwelling house. Documentary evidence suggests that the castle may have been built in the 1430s. The dwelling house contained a late-medieval church or chapel, built onto the residential tower at the same time as the tower itself. Its architectural character must therefore be considered in terms of both the tower’s form and the dwelling house and attached religious space.

Today, only a fragmentary gateway remains at Gorteens. In the early 18th century, one of Ireland’s earliest glassworks was located there. It may have influenced the origins of the Waterford Glass Factory. Gorteens’ history thus combines a surviving architectural fragment with an early chapter in Irish glassmaking.

Park and cultural heritage

Slieverue Linear Park has a boules court and plantings designed to promote biodiversity. A specific leisure activity and ecological landscaping can be enjoyed side by side.

The annual Eigse Sliabh Rua – Uí Dea Festival celebrates the history and cultural heritage of Slieverue and its surroundings. Exact dates and the programme vary. If the festival is important to your travel plans, check the latest dates in advance.

More cultural history in County Kilkenny

The wider destination of County Kilkenny offers further distinct cultural attractions. Rothe House in Kilkenny city was built in 1594 as John Rothe Fitzpiers’s place of business and family residence. Guided tours with knowledgeable guides are available. During opening hours, visitors can also explore the house, courtyards and garden independently.

Jerpoint Cistercian Abbey was founded in the 12th century and is one of Ireland’s finest examples of a medieval Cistercian abbey. It is known for detailed stone sculptures dating from the 13th to the 16th century. At Kells Priory, the surviving medieval fortifications inspired the local name “Seven Castles of Kells”. County Kilkenny’s cultural landscape thus ranges from a town house and business premises to monastic architecture and a fortified monastery.

Discover more destinations: Piltown, Callan, Freshford, Graiguenamanagh, Kilkenny, Gowran, Bennettsbridge, The Rower

View the wider travel guide: County Kilkenny.