Efforts intensifying in bid to bring Pangur Bán to Kilkenny
Representatives from Kilkenny would like to see the manucript temporarily exhibited in The Marble City
Efforts are intensifying to bring the ancient poem ‘Pangur Bán’ to Kilkenny.
Written by an Irish monk around 850AD, the poem describes the simple yet meaningful relationship between the monk and his cat, Pangur Bán.
It was inscribed on a scrap of parchment on or near Reichenau Island in Lake Constance, Germany, and is now stored in St Paul’s Abbey in Carinthia, Austria.
Kilkenny native Charlie Delaney recently added his support to the efforts to bring the poem to Kilkenny.
While on his summer holidays, Delaney cycled part of the Euro Velo Route 6, a path stretching from France to Slovakia.
He made a special detour to the Archaeological State Museum in Constance, where Pangur Bán is currently on display as part of a prestigious international exhibition celebrating the 1300th anniversary of the monastery on Reichenau Island, founded by St Pirmin in 724 AD.
While outside the museum, Delaney, sporting his Kilkenny hurling jersey, was joined by Rosaleen Crotty and a Dublin man named Kevin, who also visited the exhibition.
Together, they posed with a sign reading ‘Let’s bring Pangur Bán to Kilkenny’ and drew the attention of all those passing by.
The connection between Kilkenny and cats runs deep, giving the campaign extra weight.
Kilkenny’s ‘Cat’ nickname is immortalised in local culture, from John Locke’s 17th-century play The City Ramble to the 2021 children’s book ‘We Are Kilkenny Cats’.
The cat figure has also been celebrated recently through public art projects like the Kilkenny Cat Walk.
Moreover, Pangur Bán is a beloved character in the Oscar-nominated Kilkenny animation studio’s The Secret of Kells.
Kilkenny TD John McGuinness first raised the issue of bringing Pangur Bán to Kilkenny during an Oireachtas Select Committee meeting in early 2023.
He has urged the Office of Public Works to look into the possibility of putting the poem on display temporarily in Kilkenny.
Many hope the poem will soon find its way to the city for a special exhibition.