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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)
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