Opened in 2007 the Visitor Centre at Castlecomer Discovery Park stands on the site of a former grass drying building which was located in the estate yard. The new building is a unique and visually pleasing structure which blends perfectly with the traditional stonebuildings of The Estate Yard. The building is fully wheelchair accessible and houses our reception area, toilets, Jarrow cafe, Footprints in Coal exhibition and a wide range of exhibitions throughout the year. The Visitor Centre is the meeting and registration point for all our activities at the park.
45 minute audio-visual exhibition charting the geological formation of coal, significant fossils finds and crucially the social history and heritage of coal-mining in the Castlecomer region. Scroll down for more background information on the exhibition’s content. Open daily, last entry 4pm.
Cost: Adult €7; Child €5; Student/OAP €6; Family 2+2 €20; Family 2+3 €22; Group & School discounts available.
RTE RADIO 1 Feature: Marie Louise O’Donnell hits the road with a Castlecomer Coal Merchant
The link above leads you to an audio clip of Marie Louise O’Donnell sharing her experience on the road with Paddy Coady, a Kilkenny coal merchant, on Sean O’Rourke’s RTE Radio 1 show. Here she relives the tales she was told, of the days when the coal mining played a big part in the Castlecomer community