BREAKING: Minister sets date to officially open renovated Sessions House in Thomastown

The long-awaited official reopening of the Sessions House in Thomastown is to take place next week.

After years of works, delayed by the Covid pandemic, the renovated historic building is set to become a centre of crafts excellence.

Minister Heather Humphreys, who is the Minister for Rural and Community Development, will officially cut the ribbon to open the building.

Councillors in the Callan Thomastown municipal district have welcomed the success of the project.

Cllr Deirdre Cullen said it will be a great day in Thomastown. “This has been a long time coming. I can’t wait to see it.” She added: “This is great for Thomastown, great for the area and positive for all of the community.”

The Sessions House is set to become the home of the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) which has agreed to lease the building from Kilkenny County Council for a period of 25 years at a rent of €1 per week, for use as an educational facility.

Degree courses in goldsmithing and ceramics to begin in Kilkenny in 2022

In partnership with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) the DCCI is creating  two new Thomastown-based degree courses for students - Ceramics Skills and Design, in the old bank building, and Jewellery and Goldsmithing Skills and Design which will be located in the Sessions House.

The courses are set to put the town on the map in the creative industries.

Archive - Eight sentences in marathon court session in Kilkenny (1973)

May 4, 1973

In 2019 Kilkenny County Council were successful in securing funding for the refurbishment of the iconic Sessions House building, formerly Thomastown Courthouse, on Logan Street, from the Rural Regeneration & Development Fund.

Minister Humphreys will perform the official opening on Friday, May 17.