Kilkenny Limestone - Irish Blue Limestone

Around 75.000 m² are quarried each year in Old Leighlin, Kellymount and Holdensrath. 

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Kellymount, Co. Kilkenny

  • Located in Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny
  • 29,5 hectare site
  • Classic Blue and Fossil varieties
  • Annual gross extraction rate of 25.000 m³
  • Production hub for Irish Blue Limestone slabs and paving for Irish and European markets
Top view of the Holdensrath quarry

Holdensrath, Co. Kilkenny

  • Located just outside the historic ‘Marble City’ of Kilkenny
  • 27,6 hectare site
  • Classic Blue variety
  • Annual gross extraction rate of 25.000 m³
  • Production hub for Irish Blue Limestone slabs and paving for Irish and European markets
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Old Leighlin, Co. Carlow

  • James Walshe Quarry & Production Centre
  • Located just outside the picturesque villages of Old Leighlin & Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow
  • 12,5 hectare site.
  • Classic Blue and Fossil varieties
  • Annual gross extraction rate of 21.000 m³
  • Production hub for Irish and International markets

2 varieties

From these three quarries, we extract mostly classic blue limestone and a special variety with high fossil content. 

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  • Classic blue: This variety of Kilkenny Limestone is bright blue–grey in appearance, its ancient crinoid fossils providing minor tonal variations to the stone. This variety is suitable for many types of finishes. It communicates a beautiful blue hue when a dry-sanded finish is applied to it and can be brought to a pure black background when honed or polished.

  • Fossil: This special and distinct material is carefully sourced from a narrow seam of fossil beds and features relics of ancient oysters and coral fragments that contrast with a dark background. These large fossils are unique to Irish blue limestone and only found in the Kilkenny/Carlow region of Ireland.

Applications


Kitchens
Kitchens
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Indoor flooring
Indoor flooring
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Outdoor tiling
Outdoor tiling
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Wall cladding
Wall cladding
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Façade cladding
Façade cladding
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Bathrooms
Bathrooms
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Stairs
Stairs
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Paving
Paving
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Window sills (indoor)
Window sills (indoor)
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Window sills (outdoor)
Window sills (outdoor)
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Decoration
Decoration
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Gravestones
Gravestones
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Kilkenny Limestone blocks

Discover all Kilkenny Limestone products

This material has been used for centuries for indoor and outdoor applications. Next to slabs, our range consists of tiles, paving products and many more.

Technical specifications

Irish Blue Limestone was formed some 340 million years ago as a compact crinoidal limestone with a rich fossil content of mainly brachiopods (shellfish) and polyps. Finely dispersed carbon through the stone mass results in a typical blue-grey colour.


StandardMean value + /- standard deviation
Apparent DensityEN 19362680 +/- 8kg/m³
PorosityEN 19360,4 +/- 0,1% vol
Water absorption under atmospheric pressure EN 137550,11 +/- 0,02% weight
Compressive strengthEN 1926137 +/- 13MPa
Flexural strengthEN 1237215,2 +/- 2,3MPa
Wear resistanceEN 1415719,2 +/- 0,8mm
Frost resistanceEN 12371168 cycles

Get inspired

Working in the Kilkenny Limestone quarry

Learn more about Kilkenny Limestone

Kilkenny Limestone is a Brachot Family Member with 3 quarries and production sites in Ireland. Discover more about Ireland’s leading limestone quarrying & processing operation.

An employee working at Kilkenny Limestone

Get in touch

We are available at any time to answer distribution queries, provide information on our full suite of products, or deliver advice on caring for Irish Blue Limestone.