Kilkenny Castle named amongst the most beautiful in the world

An Irish castle has been named in the top ten most beautiful castles in the world.

Kilkenny Castle was named eighth in the list compiled by Architectural Digest, who described it as “one of the most fairytale-esque castles in the world”.

Kilkenny Castle named amongst the most beautiful in the world

The description read: “This castle overlooks the River Nore and was used to guard the important river crossing for more than 900 years.

“Throughout the history of the castle, the site was renovated several times with the changing of owners, making it a mixture of various architectural styles.”

Kilkenny Castle attracts thousands of visitors each year, and is one of the most iconic castles in Ireland.

It was built in 1195 by William Marshal, the 1st Earl of Pembroke, the son-in-law of Richard de Clare, more famously known as Strongbow.

It was Strongbow who led the Norman invasion across Ireland, and built several castles to serve as strongholds to protect his territory from the native clans.

The castle has stood for more than 800 years, and changed hands several times.

It was left empty for 30 years during the mid-1900s after its owners had ran into financial difficulty, but was restored to its full glory during the 1960s and 70s and is now one of the popular tourist spots in Ireland.

Here is the list of the top 10 most beautiful castles in the world according to Architectural Digest:

10 – Carcassonne, France
9 – Bojnice Castle, Slovakia
8 – Kilkenny Castle, Ireland
7 – Prague Castle, The Czech Republic
6 – Spiš Castle, Slovakia
5 – Castello Aragonese, Ischia, Italy
4 – Bodiam Castle, East Sussex England
3 – Mont Saint-Michel, France
2 – Windsor Castle, England
1 – Chateau de Versailles, France

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