Hole in Wall Supper Club, Kilkenny City, Co. Kilkenny

Built in 1582 by Martin Archer, whose coat of arms still adorns the street front, this complex of buildings originally served as a grand townhouse in the heart of Anglo-Norman Kilkenny, just 55 metres from where the medieval market cross once stood. The main house connected to an inner house through a link building, creating a series of structures arranged around courtyards; a typical layout for wealthy urban dwellings of the period.

The inner house underwent a dramatic transformation in the mid-1700s when it was converted into 'the Hole in Wall' supper club, a venue that operated for roughly a century and became a notorious haunt for Kilkenny's colourful characters and socialites. This conversion required substantial alterations to the original Tudor structure, evidence of which survives in the brick fireplaces and repositioned chimney on the building's north side. The building retains many of its original 16th-century features, including chamfered single-light windows, elegant two-light windows with hood mouldings at first-floor level, and a distinctive octagonal chimney with broach stops. A large limestone fireplace with a depressed three-centred arch and chamfered surround dominates the south gable at ground level, whilst four-centred two-light windows grace the attic level above.

Archaeological investigations between 2007 and 2012 revealed layers of the building's long history beneath its floors. Excavations uncovered the original late 16th-century beaten-earth floor, sealed beneath later culverts and flagstone paving that likely dates from its tavern days. The dig also revealed a cobbled courtyard surface between the building and its walled garden, along with fascinating detritus from its time as a drinking establishment; 18th-century bottle glass, clay pipes, coins and tokens were all found preserved in the makeup deposits. After years of lying derelict and partially roofless, conservation work saw the south side of the inner house restored and reopened as a pub in 2009, whilst the north side remains roofless and semi-ruinous, offering visitors a glimpse of both the building's grandeur and its centuries of wear.