Toil and trouble - new book recalls Kilkenny witch trial of 1324

The colourful book is a compendium of the academic papers read at the conference, in November 2024, by Turtle Bunbury, Bishop Michael Burrows, Professor Maeve Callan (USA), Doctor Allison Galbari TCD, Ms Laoise O’Brien and Professor emeritus Bernadette Williams (TCD). It included details of the civic and religious service in Saint Canice’s Cathedral to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the celebrated Kilkenny Witch Trials, centred around Dame Alice Kyteller.

The book, which is on sale locally, was designed by Kieran O’Sullivan and edited by Pat Nolan.

Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr. Andrew McGuinness conceded that seven hundred years ago powerful men had paid scant attention to, indeed had trampled on the rights of a friendless Petronella of Meath.

Ms Teehan CEO the Heritage Council who formally launched the new book, remarked during her address that the episode was far from the brightest in Kilkenny’s long history. She applauded the archaeological society for arranging the conference and for the detailed work involved in bringing the book to successful publication.

It was important that a permanent record of the events surrounding the trial and burning and how it was viewed both at the time and especially today would be available to researchers and scholars into the future. It was a measure of the importance of the event and its current continuing relavence in today’s world that the Heritage council had agreed to underwrite the publication.

The book is available in Rothe House and in most local bookshops

The Dean of Ossory, Rev. Stephen Farrell, who chaired the committee who arranged the conference said that it was fitting that neither the Church, in the person of Bishop Adrian Wilkinson and also Fr. Jim Murphy nor the state – in the person of the Mayor and Corporation of Kilkenny- had shied away from a full acknowledgement of the injustice of the 1324 trial.

It is to Kilkenny’s credit that the anniversary was embraced with such openness and widespread public engagement. Our hope had been, he said, for a relatively small, academic conference, trying to offer a firmer grasp on some of the more slippery facts of the episode.

What we had not foreseen is the wonderful way in which the city and county got behind the commemoration. The County Council’s Mr. Tim Butler, Director of services and Heritage Officer Ms Regina FitzPatrick together with the Library service did a wonderful job of taking the commemoration out among the community and into the schools.

Detailing the reasoning behind the decision to stage this three-day academic conference, Pat Nolan, Conference Director stressed the importance of the lessons still to be learned from the trial and burning.

Our best and most appropriate response must surely be to ensure that in today’s world those without a voice, power or influence would still be listened to appropriately and accorded equal and full protection under the law.

The conference was part of the annual programme mounted by Kilkenny Archaeological Society and albeit this taking some two years to organize. It was decided by the then President of the Society, Mr Fonsie Mealy that a special sub-committee be formed to reflect and facilitate the involvement of the various stakeholders. It consisted of Rev Stephen Farrell, Dean of Ossory Chair, John Knox (KAS)treasurer, Anne Lannon (KAS), secretary, Claire Nolan (UCD) Academic Administrator, JD Flynn of Kytelers Inn, Publicity and Pat Nolan conference director.