Games, gardens and genealogy at Rothe House

While Savour Kilkenny cooks up a storm, Rothe House is also serving up some tasty fare on Saturday.

Games: The day kicks off with a children’s workshop from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Children ages 5 to 12 will enjoy a morning of craft making with a Halloween theme. Children can get ready for the big night by creating spooky masks, ghastly Halloween wreaths, and jack-o-lanterns. Places are limited to 20, and booking is advised. Booking at reception@rothehouse.com or 056 7722893; €6 per child.

Gardens: That afternoon, head gardener Mary Pyke will lead a tour of the 17th-century garden. Participants will discover the food that was grown in the 1600s in Kilkenny and learn how the Rothe family ate and used the produce from their garden. The tour will explore the vegetable beds, the herb beds and the fruit orchard, and watch the ducks as they seek out slugs and other goodies.

Genealogy: At 4pm, there will be a talk on “Memories into Memoirs” by Irene Graham, author of The Memoir Writing Workbook, and founder of The Creative Writer’s Workshop and The Memoir Writing Club. Participants can capture the story of their ancestors, learning how to create a story from family history through writing meaningful memoirs. Irene’s interactive lecture will stimulate a connection to ancestral history and encourage all to leave a legacy for future generations. Her right-brain/left-brain writing techniques are renowned internationally for evoking the writer within and encouraging people to write short memoirs.

Admission to the latter two events is a combined €5.