King House Interpretive Galleries & Museum
Opening Hours: April to September daily 10.00am - 18.00pm
Last Admission 5.00pm
Tel: 071 96 63242
Fax: 071 96 63243
e-mail: kinghouse@roscommoncoco.ie
Website: www.kinghouse.ie
King House was built by Sir Henry King around 1730, it is a house of unique architectural and historical importance.
Situated beside the Boyle River, within the town of Boyle, it occupies land formerly controlled by the MacDermot clan and is the most important provincial town house in Ireland. Home of the Connaught Rangers regiment from 1788 and the Irish Army since then, recent extensive restoration has brought King House back to its former glory.
With the aid of exciting special effects and life size models in recreated scenes you are taken back through the long and compelling history of the house and the people who lived in the area. Every opportunity has been taken, with the use of interactive displays, to ensure that visitors, children and adults alike, are able to experience life as it was for the people who occupied the house and lived and work locally.
Boyle Annual Arts Festival is held here throughout the end of July and beginning of August.With a numerours amount of varied events and exhibitions. The Boyle Civic Art Collection is housed here also.
Facilities
Fully wheel-chair accessible, self-guided tours every 5 minutes: French, German, Spanish and Italian translations, childrens workshops.
Restaurant,Una Bhan Tourism traditional craft shop, adjacent adventure playground and public park, coach / car parking, civic art collection & Tourist Information Office. Rooms for hire & conference facilities.

Up-coming events

LECTURE WEEKEND
Boyle's major tourist attraction, King House is now open for the summer season. Staff have been kept busy through the winter developing exciting new attractions and upgrading the tour of the house. A selection of gift items and publications are now for sale at reception. A Friends of King House scheme will shortly be launched. The season runs until September 30th daily, from 10am to 6pm. (Last admission is at 5pm). Pre-booked groups are welcome all year round. Tel: 071 9663242 or visit www.kinghouse.ie for details. Meanwhile, a lecture and study weekend 'Chronicles of Kings' takes place in King House on Saturday April 19th and Sunday 20th. This will be two days of lectures, presentations and discussions of the history of the King family, Rockingham and the influences of architectural style.
Saturday 19th April @ 11.00am
Susan Gatsby assisted by Tony Murphy, will give an illustrated talk on 'The Style & Influences of 18th Century Architecture'
Saturday 19th April @ 2.00pm
Triona Mullaney-Dignam & John Clapison (co-authors of the recently published book Rockingham, Memories of a Vanishing Mansion), will give an illustrated talk on 'Rockingham'
Sunday 19th April @ 11.00am
Niall Cregg (thanks to Boyle Abbey), will give a talk on 'The Kings & Boyle Abbey'
Sunday 19th April @ 2.00pm
Sean Simon will give a talk on 'The History of Castle Island' (a microcosm of Irish History)