Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre: Rock-climbing meets rock 'n' roll

Rock-climbing and training for mountain rescue as well as a summer programme of theatrical presentations and concerts at this Kilkenny entertainment venue

Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre. Picture: Dave McClelland

Soon after its foundation in 1981, members of Kilkenny’s Tyndall Mountaineering Club began seeking a local crag on which to sharpen their climbing skills. After some time, they discovered that suitably vertical cliffs existed about 12 kilometres west of Kilkenny City at Ballykeeffe Quarry, Kilmanagh.

Due to the growing difficulty of extracting road-building material, this remote limestone quarry had been abandoned by Kilkenny County Council in the 1950s. Bereft of practical purpose, it quickly became a dump for car wrecks, rotting furniture, and other rubbish, while also acting as a collection point for beet bound for the then-vibrant Carlow Sugar Factory.