Kilkenny ()
[.] is a city in
County Kilkenny,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It is located in the
South-East Region and in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
. It is built on both banks of the
River Nore
The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilkenny is a tourist destination, and its environs include historic buildings such as
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
,
St Canice's Cathedral
St Canice's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, ), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Dioc ...
and round tower,
Rothe House
Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconst ...
,
Shee Alms House
Shee Alms House was founded by the Shee family in 1582 'to accommodate twelve poor persons' in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a nationally significant Tudor period Almshouse.
House
Sir Richard Shee founded the alms house, originally cal ...
,
Black Abbey
The Black Abbey of Kilkenny, Ireland, is a Catholic priory of the Dominican Order, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland.
The history of the ...
,
St. Mary's Cathedral,
Kilkenny Town Hall,
St. Francis Abbey, Grace's Castle, and
St. John's Priory. Kilkenny is also known for its craft and design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens and museums. Annual events include
Kilkenny Arts Festival
The Kilkenny Arts Festival, formally known as Kilkenny Arts Week, was founded in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1974. It covers a number of art forms, including classical music and performance. Playwright and poet Seamus Heaney gave a reading of some o ...
, the
Cat Laughs
The ''Cat Laughs Comedy Festival'' is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1994.
History
Cat Laughs was envisioned in 1994 by Lynn Cahill who ran ...
comedy festival and music at the Kilkenny Roots Festival.
Kilkenny began with an early 6th-century ecclesiastical foundation within the
Kingdom of Ossory
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of t ...
. Following the
Norman invasion of Ireland
The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...
, Kilkenny Castle and a series of walls were built to protect the
burghers of what became a
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
merchant town.
William Marshall,
Lord of Leinster
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...
, gave Kilkenny a charter as a town in 1207. By the late 13th century, Kilkenny was under
Hiberno-Norman control. The
Statutes of Kilkenny
The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts enacted by the Parliament of Ireland at Kilkenny in 1366, aiming to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland.
Background to the Statutes
By the middle decades of the ...
, passed at Kilkenny in 1367, aimed to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman
Lordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...
. In 1609, King
James I of England
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...
granted Kilkenny a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
, giving it the status of a city. Following the
Irish Rebellion of 1641, the
Irish Catholic Confederation
Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1649, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military ...
, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny", was based in Kilkenny and lasted until the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland or Cromwellian war in Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell invaded Ireland wi ...
in 1649. From 1840 onwards, Kilkenny has not been administered as a city under local government law, but the
Local Government Reform Act 2014
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...
provides for "the continued use of the description city".
Kilkenny was a brewing centre from the late 17th century, and still houses a number of breweries. The
Heritage Council
The Heritage Council ( ga, An Comhairle Oidhreachta) is an organisation created by the Irish government to "engage, educate and advocate to develop a wider understanding of the vital contribution that our heritage makes to our social, environmenta ...
offices are at Church Lane in the former Bishop's Palace. The seat of the
Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory ( ga, Deoise Osraí) is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Dublin.[ ...]
is at
St Mary's Cathedral and the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
Bishop of Cashel and Ossory
The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory (''Full title'': Bishop of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin) is the Ordinary of the United Diocese of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin in the Church of ...
is at
St Canice's Cathedral
St Canice's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, ), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Dioc ...
.
Toponymy
Kilkenny is the anglicised version of the Irish ''Cill Chainnigh'', meaning ''Cell/Church of
Cainneach or
Canice''.
This relates to a church built in honour of
St. Canice, an
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
man, on the hill now containing
St. Canice's Cathedral and the
round tower
A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and fu ...
. This seems to be the first major settlement. The early Christian origin of the round tower suggests an early ecclesiastical foundation at Kilkenny.
The ''
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
'' recorded Kilkenny in 1085.
Prior to this time the early 6th-century territory was known as ''Osraighe,'' referring to the whole district or the capital. The
Four Masters entry was the first instance where the capital was called ''Ceall-Cainnigh'' (modernized Kilkenny).
Cill Chainnigh was a major monastic centre from at least the eighth century. There is no mention of ''Cill Chainnigh'' in the lives of
Cainnech of Aghaboe
Cainnech of Aghaboe (515/16–600), also known as Saint Canice in Ireland, Saint Kenneth in Scotland, Saint Kenny and in Latin Sanctus Canicus, was an Irish abbot, monastic founder, priest and missionary during the early medieval period. Cainn ...
,
Ciarán of Saighir or any of the early
annals of Ireland suggesting that Cill Chainnigh was not of ancient civil importance.
City status
Officially 'the Municipal District of Kilkenny City', Kilkenny does not have a city council under the
Local Government Reform Act 2014
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...
, but it is referred to as a city under the same act. Traditionally, Kilkenny had been referred to as a city, and this has its roots in local usage, deriving from a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
granted by King
James I of England
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the Union of the Crowns, union of the Scottish and Eng ...
in 1609.
Historically,
city status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the monarch of the United Kingdom to a select group of communities. , there are 76 cities in the United Kingdom—55 in England, seven in Wales, eight in Scotland, and six in Northern Ireland. ...
, and before that in the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...
, was a ceremonial designation awarded by the
Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
. It carried more prestige than the alternative municipal titles "
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
" or "
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
", but gave no extra legal powers (the qualifying factor was the presence of a
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
, resulting in some very small cities such as
Wells
Wells most commonly refers to:
* Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England
* Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground
* Wells (name)
Wells may also refer to:
Places Canada
*Wells, British Columbia
England
* Wells ...
, with a population 12,000 as of 2018 and
St Davids, with a population of 1,841 as of 2011).
A
city in Irish law has special legal meaning with corresponding powers for local government. From a local government perspective, Kilkenny has not been administered as a city since at least 1840. The present-day legal, political and administrative jurisdictions in Ireland are set out in the
Local Government Reform Act 2014
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...
.
While the present-day settlement is administered as a
municipal district
A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It can refer to a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area.
Brazil
In Brazil, municipal districts are, in genera ...
, the appellation "city" is an emotive subject in Kilkenny, and
TDs Phil Hogan
Phil Hogan (born 4 July 1960) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as European Commissioner for Trade between 2019 and 2020, and previously European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development between 2014 and 2019.
He previously ...
and
John McGuinness successfully lobbied that when "boroughs" were renamed "towns" under the Local Government Act 2001, Kilkenny could continue to be referred to as a "city". Accordingly, a clause was added to the 2001 bill:
History
![킬케니캐슬](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/%ED%82%AC%EC%BC%80%EB%8B%88%EC%BA%90%EC%8A%AC.jpg)
Kilkenny's foundation began with an early 6th-century ecclesiastical settlement, with a church built in honour of
St. Canice. Now
St. Canice's Cathedral, this was a major monastic centre from at least the 8th century. The ''
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
'' recorded the first reference ''Cill Chainnigh'' in 1085. Prehistoric activity has been recorded, suggesting intermittent settlement activity in the area in the
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
and
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. Information on the history of Kilkenny can be found in newspapers, photographs, letters, drawings, manuscripts and archaeology. Kilkenny is documented in manuscripts from the 13th century onwards and one of the most important of these is ''Liber Primus Kilkenniensis''.
The
Kings of Ossory, O'Carrolls and Fitzpatricks, had residence around Cill Chainnigh. The seat of the diocese of
Kingdom of Osraige
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of t ...
was moved from
Aghaboe
Aghaboe () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland. It is located on the R434 regional road in the rural hinterland west of the town of Abbeyleix.
It contains the ruins of the Abbey of Aghaboe which was founded by St. Canice in the Osso ...
to Cill Chainnigh. Following the
Norman invasion of Ireland
The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...
,
Richard Strongbow
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, Justiciar of Ireland (113020 April 1176), also known as Richard FitzGilbert, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman notable for his leading ro ...
, as
Lord of Leinster
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...
, established a castle near modern-day
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
.
William Marshall began the development of the town of Kilkenny and a series of walls to protect the burghers. By the late 13th century, Kilkenny was under
Norman-Irish control. The original ecclesiastical centre at St. Canice's Cathedral became known as
Irishtown and the Anglo-Norman borough inside the wall came to be known as Hightown.
Kilkenny was the site of Ireland's earliest recorded witch trial. Occurring in 1324 and instigated by the then Bishop of
Ossory
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of ...
,
Richard de Ledrede, the trial involved Dame
Alice de Kyteler and her servant
Petronella de Meath. Petronella would be the first person recorded in Ireland to be burned alive at the stake for witchcraft, after Dame Alice presumably fled the country. This trial was also one of the earliest recorded witch burnings in Europe and inspires much folklore about the possibility of the ghosts of Alice and Petronella haunting downtown Kilkenny. Alice's house, Kyteler's Inn, still stands and is now a pub.
![Small Kilkenny city map circa 1780 (2006-06-17)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Small_Kilkenny_city_map_circa_1780_%282006-06-17%29.png)
The
Hiberno-Norman presence in Kilkenny was deeply shaken by the
Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
, which arrived in 1348. The
Statutes of Kilkenny
The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts enacted by the Parliament of Ireland at Kilkenny in 1366, aiming to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland.
Background to the Statutes
By the middle decades of the ...
passed at Kilkenny in 1367, aimed to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman
Lordship of Ireland
The Lordship of Ireland ( ga, Tiarnas na hÉireann), sometimes referred to retroactively as Norman Ireland, was the part of Ireland ruled by the King of England (styled as "Lord of Ireland") and controlled by loyal Anglo-Norman lords between ...
. In 1609,
King James I of England
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
granted Kilkenny a
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
giving it the status of a city. Following the
Rebellion of 1641, the
Irish Catholic Confederation
Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1649, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military ...
, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny", was based in Kilkenny and lasted until the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland or Cromwellian war in Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell invaded Ireland wi ...
in 1649.
James II of England
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
spent most of the winter months from November 1689 until January 1690 at Kilkenny, residing in the castle.
Stephens Barracks, built in the years following the
1798 Rebellion, was completed between 1800 and 1803.
The
Kilkenny Design Workshops
The Kilkenny Design Workshops (KDW) were a government-funded research and development centre of excellence for design (and design advocacy, research and promotion) which was established in Ireland in 1963. It was created to inspire, support and d ...
were opened in 1965 and in 1967 the
Marquess of Ormonde
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
presented
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
to the people of Kilkenny. Today, it has a lively cultural scene, with annual events including the
Kilkenny Arts Week Festival in the last two weeks of August, and the
Cat Laughs
The ''Cat Laughs Comedy Festival'' is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1994.
History
Cat Laughs was envisioned in 1994 by Lynn Cahill who ran ...
Comedy Festival at the beginning of June. Kilkenny is also where the
Irish ale,
Smithwick's
Smithwick's () is an Irish red ale-style beer.
Smithwick's brewery was founded in Kilkenny in 1710 by John Smithwick and run by the Smithwick family of Kilkenny until 1965 when it was acquired by Guinness, now part of Diageo. The Kilkenny b ...
, was first brewed.
Kilkenny is referred to as the ''Marble City'', and people from Kilkenny are often referred to as '
Cats'. The seat of the
Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory ( ga, Deoise Osraí) is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Dublin.[ ...]
is at
St. Mary's Cathedral and the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...
Bishop of Cashel and Ossory
The Bishop of Cashel and Ossory (''Full title'': Bishop of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin) is the Ordinary of the United Diocese of Cashel, Waterford and Lismore with Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin in the Church of ...
is at
St. Canice's Cathedral.
Geography
Location and topography
![Map of Kilkenny](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Map_of_Kilkenny.png)
Kilkenny is situated in the Nore Valley on both banks of the
River Nore
The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
, at the centre of
County Kilkenny in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
in the south-east of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. It is away the capital
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and north from the nearest city
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
.
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
is to the south-east and
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
is to the west. The elevation is above mean sea level. The area of Kilkenny borough is . The first edition of the Ordnance Survey map for Kilkenny was in 1837 and is held by the County Library.
Climate
The climate of Kilkenny, like the
climate of Ireland
The climate of Ireland is mild, humid and changeable with abundant rainfall and a lack of temperature extremes. Ireland's climate is defined as a temperate oceanic climate, or ''Cfb'' on the Köppen climate classification system, a classificati ...
, is a changeable
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
with few extremes. It is defined as a
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
, or ''Cfb'' on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system. Kilkenny lies in plant . At the centre of the county, Kilkenny is in a sheltered location, inland and is surrounded by hills over , which ensures that it is not a
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...
y location.
The highest wind gust of , from a south-west direction, was recorded on .
Kilkenny is generally representative of wide river valleys in the region with low temperatures on cloudless nights,
and is significant in that it records some of the highest summer and lowest winter temperatures in Ireland. The highest air temperature ever recorded in Ireland was , at
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
on .
The
Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, wh ...
Kilkenny
Weather Observing Station, north-west of the centre of Kilkenny, on the Duningstown Road, opened in ,
and observations ceased in .
A climatological station is currently in operation within of the old site, and as of , was providing live weather data to the general public and climate data to
Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, wh ...
.
Extremes recorded at the station include the highest air
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...
of on , the lowest air temperature of on and the lowest ground temperature of on .
The warmest and sunniest month on record in Kilkenny was with a total of
sunshine and very high temperatures throughout.
The maximum daily sunshine was on .
The overall trend in temperatures has been on the rise with a marked increase from 1988 onwards.
Annual temperatures are running over or above 20th century levels.
The maximum daily
rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
fall recorded at Kilkenny station was on .
The late 1950s and early 1960s were wet but rainfall had been steady throughout the century.
2002 was a very wet year and since 2005 annual rainfall has been increasing steadily, with 2009 being the wettest year since records commenced in 1958.
Demographics
Population
Kilkenny borough has a population of 8,591, however, the majority of the population of Kilkenny live outside the borough's boundary. Kilkenny City borough and its environs had a population of 22,179 in 2006.
[Table 5: Population of Towns ordered by County and size, 2002 and 2006]
Changes as of the 2006 census, by the
Central Statistics Office, Kilkenny Town Borough had a population of 8,661 which was an increase of 70 persons over the 2002 figure of 8,591 or 0.8%. The Town Environs had a population of 13,518 which was an increase of 1347 persons over the 2002 figure of 12,144 or 11.3%. Overall both the Borough & Environs had a population of 22,179 in 2006 which was an increase of 1444 persons over the 2002 figure of 20,735 or 7.0%. People from Kilkenny are often referred to as 'Cats'.
Disposable household income per person as of 2005 was €18,032 and the index of disposable household was 89.4.
Languages and religions
Kilkenny is
multilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
but predominantly
English-speaking
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest langua ...
, with
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
being the second most commonly spoken language. In recent decades, with the increase of immigration on an all-Ireland basis, many more languages have been introduced into Kilkenny.
The main religion is Catholicism, however, there are Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, Jewish and other religious traditions living in Kilkenny.
Governance
![Kilkenny Courthouse 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Kilkenny_Courthouse_2018.jpg)
Kilkenny is a
local electoral area
A local electoral area (LEA; ga, Toghlimistéir Áitiúil) is an electoral area for elections to local authorities in Ireland. All elections use the single transferable vote. The Republic of Ireland is divided into 166 LEAs, with an average p ...
of
Kilkenny County Council
Kilkenny County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Chill Chainnigh) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kilkenny, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible f ...
and includes the
electoral division
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
s of Dunmore, Kilkenny No. 1 Urban, Kilkenny No. 2 Urban, Kilkenny Rural and St. Canice, and elects 7 of the 24 members of the council. This area is also the Municipal District of Kilkenny City.
Local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
bodies in Kilkenny have responsibility for such matters as planning, roads, sanitation and libraries and are governed by the Local Government Acts 1925 to 2019, the principal Act being the
Local Government Act 2001.
Kilkenny had previously been governed by a Borough Corporation, but this was abolished by the
Local Government Reform Act 2014
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...
. Kilkenny's first council was elected in 1231. From the 13th century to the end of the 16th, the chief magistrate was known as the sovereign, and since then as the mayor. Despite not currently being governed as a city, Kilkenny was historically a city, derived from a
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
in 1609 by
King James I of England and Ireland, and it is both common and permissible to continue to refer to Kilkenny as a city, per Section 10(6) of the
Local Government Act 2001, as amended by the 2014 Act, which allows for "the continued use of the description city in relation to Kilkenny, to the extent that that description was used before the establishment day".
County Kilkenny is part of the
Southern Region. It is part of the
Carlow–Kilkenny Dáil constituency and the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
European Parliament constituency
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by the population of the member states of the European Union (EU). The European Electoral Act 2002 allows member states the choice to allocate electoral subdivisions or constituencies (, ...
. It was previously represented, until 1800, in the
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...
as
Kilkenny City, and in the
United Kingdom House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
as
Kilkenny City from 1801 to 1918, and as part of
North Kilkenny from 1918 to 1922. In 1921, the
Carlow–Kilkenny Dáil constituency was created. This continued until 1937, when there was a separate
Kilkenny constituency, but from 1948 there has been a continuous constituency of Carlow–Kilkenny.
Landmarks
![Rothe House, 1998](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Rothe_House%2C_1998.jpg)
Kilkenny's architectural heritage is represented through a number of historical buildings and landmarks. Kilkenny is a well-preserved medieval town and is dominated by both
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
and
St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower.
Surviving examples of the city's medieval architecture include
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
and parts of the Kilkenny City Walls. These walls define the extent, layout and status of the medieval town. The town grew from a monastic settlement to a thriving Norman merchant town in the Middle Ages.
Saint Canice's Cathedral and round tower are an example of the monastic settlement.
Rothe House
Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconst ...
on Parliament Street is an example of an Elizabethan merchant townhouse located on the only completely surviving
burgage plot
Burgage is a medieval land term used in Great Britain and Ireland, well established by the 13th century.
A burgage was a town ("borough" or " burgh") rental property (to use modern terms), owned by a king or lord. The property ("burgage tenemen ...
in Ireland. It also features a restored 17th-century garden on an area of half an acre behind the house, complete with herbs, vegetables and an orchard.
The black stone with decorative white fossils that forms the backbone of many of Kilkenny's fine buildings was quarried locally, particularly from the quarry located 1.6 km south of the town on the R700.
Kilkenny Marble was used for the plinth of the new tomb of
Richard III in
Leicester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Martin, Leicester, commonly known as Leicester Cathedral, is a Church of England cathedral in Leicester, England and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester. The church was elevated to a collegiate church in 192 ...
in England.
Visitor attractions in Kilkenny and its environs include
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
and Gardens including the
Butler Gallery
Butler Gallery is a contemporary art gallery and museum in Kilkenny, Ireland. It presents a collection of works by Irish and international artists from the 18th century to the present day. A wing has been devoted to the work of the Callan arti ...
,
St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower,
Rothe House
Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconst ...
and Garden,
Shee Alms House
Shee Alms House was founded by the Shee family in 1582 'to accommodate twelve poor persons' in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a nationally significant Tudor period Almshouse.
House
Sir Richard Shee founded the alms house, originally cal ...
,
Kilkenny Courthouse,
St. Mary's Cathedral,
Kilkenny City Hall, the
Dominican Black Abbey
The Black Abbey of Kilkenny, Ireland, is a Catholic priory of the Dominican Order, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland.
The history of the ...
,
St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...
,
Butler House, Kilkenny 'Slips' and
St. Francis Abbey Brewery. Gardens include the Castle Rose Garden, Rothe House Garden, the Famine Memorial Garden and the garden of Butler House.
In the county other attractions include
Kells Priory
''Kells Priory'' () is one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells in the townland of Rathduff (Madden), about 15 km south of the medieval city of ...
,
Jerpoint Abbey
Jerpoint Abbey () is a ruined Cistercian abbey, founded in the second half of the 12th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located 2.5 km south west of Thomastown on the R448 regional road. There is a visitor centre with an exhib ...
,
Dunmore Caves,
Woodstock Estate
Woodstock House and Estate is a derelict Georgian house and estate located near Inistioge, County Kilkenny, Ireland, on the west bank of the River Nore. The Ladies of Llangollen story began here and Mary Tighe died here. The house was destro ...
and
Jenkinstown Park
Jenkinstown Park is a park in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is situated off the N78 road about 10 km north of the city of Kilkenny and 11 km south of Castlecomer.
Facilities
Facilities include a picnic site, forest walks, deer park and a ...
.
Local
Kilkenny Marble or
Black Marble was used to decorate many of the city's buildings, and Kilkenny referred to the "Marble City" for this reason.
Kilkenny Castle and city walls
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
in Kilkenny city was the seat of the Butler family. (Formerly the family name was FitzWalter.) The castle was sold to the local Castle Restoration Committee in the middle of the 20th century for
£50. Shortly afterwards it was handed over to the State, and has since been refurbished and is open to visitors. Part of the collection of the National Art Gallery is on display in the castle. There are ornamental gardens on the northwest side of the castle, and extensive land and gardens to the front. It has become one of the most visited tourist sites in Ireland.
The first stone castle was begun in 1204 by
William Marshall the site was completed in 1213; it was a symbol of Norman occupation and in its original thirteenth-century condition it would have formed an important element of the defences of the town. There were four large circular corner towers and a massive ditch, part of which can still be seen today on the Parade. This was a square-shaped castle with towers at each corner; three of these original four towers survive to this day.
''Kilkenny Walls'' protected the medieval town of Kilkenny. The town was surrounded by walls with regular towers and gates. Remnants of the Town Walls survive such as Talbot Tower (1207), which is also known as Talbot's Bastion or Castle. It is the larger of the two surviving towers of the defences of the medieval High town of Kilkenny. There are walls on Abbey Street, and the adjoining Black Freren Gate is the only surviving gate/access remaining on the High town Circuit into the old city. A wall also runs through the brewery's grounds beside
St. Francis Abbey.
The Kilkenny City Walls Conservation Plan is a plan by the inhabitants of Kilkenny, Kilkenny Borough Council, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, An Taisce, The Kilkenny Archaeological Society and The Heritage Council to ensure the long-term survival of the city's walls.
St. Canice's Cathedral and tower
St Canice's Cathedral
St Canice's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, ), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Dioc ...
, also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, present building dates from the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral in Ireland. The cathedral is named after Saint Canice, who also gave his name to the town.
[Cathedral of St. Canice](_blank)
, extract from ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'' (1837)
Cruciform
Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design.
Cruciform architectural plan
Christian churches are commonly describe ...
, the cathedral was built in the
Early English, or English Gothic, style of
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
, with a low central tower supported on black marble columns. The exterior walls, apart from the gables, are
embattled, and there are two small
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...
s at the west end. The cathedral is seventy-five yards long, and its width along the transepts is forty-one yards.
Beside the cathedral stands a 100 ft 9th century round tower. St. Canice's tower is an excellent example of a well-preserved early Christian (9th century)
Round Tower
A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and fu ...
. Accessible only by a steep set of internal ladders, it may once have been both a watchtower and a refuge, and the summit gives a good view of Kilkenny and the countryside around. The hill on which the cathedral stands is believed to be the centre of the first major settlement at Kilkenny, and the round tower suggests an early ecclesiastical foundation.
Dominican Black Abbey
The Black Abbey of Kilkenny, Ireland, is a Catholic priory of the Dominican Order, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland.
The history of the ...
was founded in 1225, and lying just off Parliament Street.
Bridges
![Canal Square Kilkenny](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Canal_Square_Kilkenny.JPG)
Kilkenny has four main bridges -
Green's Bridge, John's Bridge, the Ossory Bridge and the St Francis Bridge. - and two pedestrian/cycle bridges - the Lady Desart Bridge and the Ossory Pedestrian Bridge. Each of the bridges spans the
River Nore
The River Nore ( ga, An Fheoir ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region of Ireland. The river drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encompasses parts of three counti ...
.
Green's Bridge, also known as the 'Great Bridge of Kilkenny', crosses the River Nore in St. Canices Parish in the townland of Gardens, and is an important element of the architectural heritage of Kilkenny City.
First built before 1200, the bridge has been rebuilt several times since the twelfth century due to flooding, including the great floods of 1487 and 1763. The present-day bridge was built in 1766 after the 'Great Flood of 1763'. It was built by William Colles (c. 1710–70) to designs prepared by George Smith (1763–67), a pupil of
George Semple
George Semple (c. 1700 – 13 April 1782) was a notable Irish builder and architect.
Life
His earliest known work is the steeple, in height, of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, which he designed and erected in 1749.
He also built St Patri ...
(c. 1700–82).
John's Bridge connects John Street to Rose Inn Street in Kilkenny City. It was first built after 1200, and has been called 'John's Bridge' since the Middle Ages. It has also been rebuilt many times since the twelfth century due to flooding. During the flood of 1763, people gathered on John's Bridge after Green's Bridge collapsed. John's Bridge also collapsed, and sixteen people died. The present-day John's Bridge was completed in 1910 and spans across the River Nore. It was reputedly, at the time it was completed, the longest single-span reinforced bridge in Ireland or Britain. The design was by Mouchel & Partners using the Hennebique system of reinforcement. The arch consists of three ribs, tapering from to deep. The traverse deck beams are each deep.
The Ossory Bridge, linking the ring road, was completed in 1984 and features an inlaid sculpture. St Francis Bridge was opened in May 2017, and forms part of the
Kilkenny Central Access Scheme
Kilkenny Central Access Scheme (CAS), previously Kilkenny Inner Relief Road Scheme is a controversial new road, improvement of existing roads and junctions and a new concrete bridge over the River Nore later named St. Francis Bridge, with provi ...
. The scheme and the proposed building of the new bridge was the subject of some debate and protest in Kilkenny in 2014.
Lady Desart Bridge and Ossory Pedestrian bridge are the city's two pedestrian/cycle bridges. Lady Desart Bridge was opened in January 2014 and links John's Quay and Bateman Quay and is located between John's Bridge and Green's Bridge. The Ossory Pedestrian bridge, located underneath the main Ossory bridge, links the Canal Walk on one side of the River Nore to the Lacken Walk on the other side.
Old Woollen Mills
The Old Woollen Mills was built in the 1800s and is located on the north side of the city, on Bleach Road. It was one of the largest employers in the area; the site covers and has more than a mile of river frontage onto the Nore.
Among its many features is a freestanding red brick chimney, erected in 1905. An architectural salvage and antique yard, Kilkenny Architectural Salvage, is currently located on the site.
Culture
![Kilkenny Design](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Kilkenny_Design.JPG)
Kilkenny is a popular tourist destination in Ireland. Its art galleries, historic buildings, craft and design workshops, theatre, comedy, public gardens and museums are some of the main reasons Kilkenny has become one of Ireland's most visited towns and a base from which to explore the surrounding countryside.
Points of cultural interest in the area include
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny Castle ( ga, Caisleán Chill Chainnigh, IPA: kaʃlʲaːnˠˈçiːl̪ʲˈxan̪ʲiː is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland built in 1195 to control a fording-point of the River Nore and the junction of several routeways. It was a symbol o ...
,
St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower,
Rothe House
Rothe House is a late 16th-century merchant's townhouse complex located in the city of Kilkenny. The complex was built by John Rothe Fitz-Piers between 1594–1610 and is made up of three houses, three enclosed courtyards, and a large reconst ...
,
St. Mary's Cathedral,
Kells Priory
''Kells Priory'' () is one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells in the townland of Rathduff (Madden), about 15 km south of the medieval city of ...
,
Kilkenny Town Hall,
Black Abbey
The Black Abbey of Kilkenny, Ireland, is a Catholic priory of the Dominican Order, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland.
The history of the ...
and
Butler Gallery
Butler Gallery is a contemporary art gallery and museum in Kilkenny, Ireland. It presents a collection of works by Irish and international artists from the 18th century to the present day. A wing has been devoted to the work of the Callan arti ...
. The latter re-opened in August 2020, having moved to a new location in Evan's Home from the former basement kitchen of Kilkenny Castle.
Arts and festivals
Kilkenny is a festival location throughout the year.
Kilkenny Tradfest takes place over the St. Patrick's Day weekend in March and includes the St. Patrick's Day festivities, the parade and the Tradfest music festival, which highlights Irish traditional and folk music.
The Kilkenny Roots Festival is held on the first weekend of May and features Americana/Bluegrass/Folk/Rockabilly/AltCountry artists in various indoor venues throughout the city. Since 1998 the festival has attracted musicians from the Americana/Roots genre, including
Calexico
Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Diego ...
,
Giant Sand
Giant Sand is an American musical group from Tucson, Arizona, United States. Its most constant member is singer-songwriter Howe Gelb. The group started as Giant Sandworms in the late 1970s post-punk and paisley underground scenes. They later s ...
,
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown.
In 2000, Adams lef ...
,
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and singer, who has been recording and touring since the late 1970s. His primary instrument is the guitar. He has played in various rock genres, including punk ...
,
Guy Clark
Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...
,
Chuck Prophet
Charles William Prophet (born June 28, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and rec ...
,
Ray LaMontagne
Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', '' God Willin' & the Creek Don ...
,
Richmond Fontaine
Richmond Fontaine was an American four-piece rock and alternative country band, based in Portland, Oregon. They were active between 1994 and 2016 and recorded eleven studio albums, four live albums and two EPs.
Underpinned by lead singer and so ...
,
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
,
Phosphorescent
Phosphorescence is a type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. When exposed to light (radiation) of a shorter wavelength, a phosphorescent substance will glow, absorbing the light and reemitting it at a longer wavelength. Unlike fluor ...
,
Sturgill Simpson
John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, '' High Top Mountain'' and '' Metamodern Sounds in Cou ...
and
Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes were an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009. The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson.
The band began its career touring ...
.
Kilkenny hosts the annual
Cat Laughs
The ''Cat Laughs Comedy Festival'' is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1994.
History
Cat Laughs was envisioned in 1994 by Lynn Cahill who ran ...
comedy festival every June bank holiday week.
The
Kilkenny Arts Festival
The Kilkenny Arts Festival, formally known as Kilkenny Arts Week, was founded in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1974. It covers a number of art forms, including classical music and performance. Playwright and poet Seamus Heaney gave a reading of some o ...
established in the 1970s takes place in late August. During this time Kilkenny plays host to contemporary art, with theatre, dance, visual art, literature, film, painting, sculptures and live performances. Musical events, including traditional, classical, world music and jazz, take place during the festival.
Savour Kilkenny is a food festival which happens in October every year. In November, Kilkenny stages Kilkenomics, the world's first economics and comedy festival.
Venues such as the Watergate Theatre host a range of home-produced and touring performances in dance, music and theatre.
Music
Music groups from the Kilkenny area include
traditional musicians
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays o ...
as well as bands like
Kerbdog
Kerbdog were an alternative metal band from Kilkenny, Ireland, formed in 1991. Following two albums released on Mercury Records, the band split up in 1998. Since 2005, they have reformed for a series of occasional one-off performances. In 201 ...
,
Engine Alley and
My Little Funhouse
My Little Funhouse were a rock band from County Kilkenny, Ireland in the early 1990s.
After winning the Carling Hot Press band competition, they got signed to Island Publishing and went on, in late 1991, to sign what was Geffen Records' larges ...
. Other groups include
R.S.A.G., whose double album ''Organic Sampler'' received a
Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year 2008. Some pubs have
Irish traditional music session
Irish traditional music sessions are mostly informal gatherings at which people play Irish traditional music. The Irish language word for "session" is ''seisiún''. This article discusses tune-playing, although "session" can also refer to a singi ...
s. The Kilkenny Roots Festival takes place each May Bank Holiday weekend.
Kilkenny is mentioned in several songs, including in "When You Danced With Me" on
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
's 2021 album ''
Voyage
Voyage(s) or The Voyage may refer to:
Literature
*''Voyage : A Novel of 1896'', Sterling Hayden
* ''Voyage'' (novel), a 1996 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter
*''The Voyage'', Murray Bail
* "The Voyage" (short story), a 1921 story by ...
''.
The
Kilkenny Arts Festival
The Kilkenny Arts Festival, formally known as Kilkenny Arts Week, was founded in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1974. It covers a number of art forms, including classical music and performance. Playwright and poet Seamus Heaney gave a reading of some o ...
is held every August. A concert, 'Source', is held in
Nowlan Park
UPMC Nowlan Park (; ) is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Kilkenny, Ireland. Named after James Nowlan (the longest serving President of the GAA), the stadium hosts major hurling matches and is home to the Kilkenny hurling te ...
and has attracted musical performers such as
Rod Stewart,
Shania Twain
Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...
,
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
and
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...
.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
headlined at the 2008 event.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
played 2 consecutive nights in July 2013 to finish the European leg of his World tour.
St Canice's Cathedral
St Canice's Cathedral ( ga, Ardeaglais Naomh Cainneach, ), also known as Kilkenny Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Kilkenny city, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Dioc ...
sometimes hosts classical musicians and choirs. The Kilkenny Choir and a gospel choir have performed in churches throughout the town. Groups like
Ex Cathedra
Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...
have played during the Kilkenny Arts Festival. Cleere's pub and theatre on Parliament Street are known for touring Irish and international bands including indie, jazz and blues. They also have a traditional music session every Monday night, as does Ryan's on Friary Street on Thursdays.
Theatre
Kilkenny had a tradition of dramatic performance going back to 1366 when the Dublin company set up in Kilkenny. Henry Burkhead printed a play in Kilkenny, ''Cola's Fury, or Lirenda's Misery'' (1645), dealing with events of the Irish
Rebellion of 1641 from an English standpoint. It was a blatantly political work with the Lirenda of the title being an anagram of Ireland. In 1642, as a result of the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, Dublin
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
s were forced to flee the city. Many of them went to Kilkenny to join a
confederacy of Old English and Irish that formed in that city.
In 1802 Sir Richard and Sir John Power of Kilfane established the Kilkenny Private Theatre.
The Watergate Theatre in Kilkenny is a centre for the performing and visual arts. It provides a varied programme of professional and amateur dramatics, classical and contemporary music, opera and dance, together with exhibitions of paintings and photographs. The Set Theatre is a smaller theatre located on John Street in Kilkenny.
Film
Award-winning animated studio
Cartoon Saloon
Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film, short film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides film TV and short film services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films '' The Secret of Kells'', ''Song of the Sea'', ...
, as well as the film production companies
Young Irish Film Makers
Young Irish Film Makers (YIFM) is a film training and production company set up in 1991 to help young people aged 13 to 20 make digital feature films.
In 1998 they produced their first feature ''Under the Hawthorn Tree'' for Channel 4 and RTÉ. ...
and Mycrofilms, are all based in Kilkenny. Kilkenny has also hosted the Subtitle European Film Festival each November since 2012.
Media
Radio
KCLR radio station serves
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272.
The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...
and
Kilkenny. It is based at both the Broadcast Centre on the Carlow Road, Kilkenny and Exchequer House, Potato Market, Carlow.
KCLR is available on 96FM and is an independent local
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
. As of 2009, KCLR had 60% weekly reach and 33% weekday share.
KCLR 96FM
KCLR 96FM is an Irish radio station which broadcasts to Carlow and Kilkenny in Ireland. It began broadcasting in May 2004.
Schedule
KCLR breakfast with John Walsh is a three-hour show from 7am to 10am and continues to be the most popular br ...
began broadcasting in May 2004 replacing Radio Kilkenny.
Radio Kilkenny, which began as a pirate station Kilkenny Community Radio, received a licensed to broadcast to Kilkenny city and county on 96.0 MHz,96.6 MHz and 106.3 MHz in 1988. Radio Kilkenny had 63% of the radio listeners in County Kilkenny and 16% in County Carlow but failed to secure a franchise in 2003 when the
Broadcasting Commission of Ireland
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) ( ga, Údarás Craolacháin na hÉireann) was established on 1 October 2009 effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) ( ga, Coimisiún Craolacháin na hÉireann).
The BAI is ...
changed the station's franchise area to include Carlow. The station ceased broadcasting at 2:10 a.m. on 1 January 2004.
Beat 102-103
Beat 102 103 is an independent regional radio station in the Republic of Ireland licensed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland covering counties Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Tipperary in South East Ireland. It began broadcas ...
is a regional youth radio station broadcasting across the South East of Ireland. It serves a population of about 450,000, and in August 2006 it had a 49% share of the southeast market.
Print media
![Finn's Leinster Journal 1794](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Finn%27s_Leinster_Journal_1794.jpg)
Newspapers have been produced in Kilkenny for centuries. Longstanding examples include ''
Finns Leinster Journal'' (later the ''
Kilkenny Journal
''Finn's Leinster Journal'' (1767–1801), later ''Leinster Journal'' (1801–1830), ''Kilkenny Journal'' and'' Leinster Commercial and Literary Advertiser'' (1832–1922), was a newspaper published in Kilkenny, Ireland.
The journa ...
'') from 1767 to 1965, the ''
Kilkenny People
The ''Kilkenny People'' is a local newspaper circulated in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
Popular in Kilkenny City and County, it competes with the ''Kilkenny Reporter'' and '' The Munster Express'' in the south of the county. ''The Kilkenny Peop ...
'' from 1916 to 1992, and the ''Kilkenny Moderator'' from 1814 to 1916. Other papers included the ''Leinster Independent'' from 1872; the ''Kilkenny Chronicle'' from 1813; the ''Kilkenny Courier''; ''Tipperary Examiner'' from 1858; the ''Kilkenny Express'' and the ''Wexford Express'' from 1875; ''The Post'' (a sister paper to ''Kilkenny People'') from 1926; the ''Kilkenny Standard'' from 1979, the ''Kilkenny People'' in 1895, ''
The Kilkenny Voice'' (2005-2008) and also the ''Kilkenny Advertiser''.
''
Finn's Leinster Journal
''Finn's Leinster Journal'' (1767–1801), later ''Leinster Journal'' (1801–1830), ''Kilkenny Journal'' and'' Leinster Commercial and Literary Advertiser'' (1832–1922), was a newspaper published in Kilkenny, Ireland.
The journal ...
'' (1767–1801) was founded by Edmund Finn in 1767. It was published in Kilkenny but some content was relevant to Carlow. It was continued as ''
Leinster Journal
''Finn's Leinster Journal'' (1767–1801), later ''Leinster Journal'' (1801–1830), ''Kilkenny Journal'' and'' Leinster Commercial and Literary Advertiser'' (1832–1922), was a newspaper published in Kilkenny, Ireland.
The journa ...
'' (1801–1830) and the ''Kilkenny Journal'' from 1832.
The ''Moderator'' (1814–1822) changed its name to ''Kilkenny Moderator'' 1822–1919 and reverted to ''Moderator'' from 1920 to 1925.
The modern ''Kilkenny People'' was first published in 1895. It is a weekly paper. According to the
Audit Bureau of Circulations An Audit Bureau of Circulations is a private organization that provides industry-agreed standards for media brand measurement of print publications and other media outlets in a given country. The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circula ...
, the ''Kilkenny People'' had an average weekly
circulation of 17,578 for the first six months of 2006. It is printed by the ''Kilkenny People Group'' at Purcellsinch and the group also publishes a number of other regional papers.
Photography
Photographic Collections of Kilkenny include the ''Lawrence Collection'' c. 1900, the ''Crawford Collection'' c. 1940, the ''Valentine Collection'' c. 1950, the ''Bolton Street Students' Survey'' c. 1970, the ''Industrial Archaeologica Survey'' c. 1989, the ''Carrigan Collection'' and the ''St. John's Parish Collection'', as well as many historical postcards.
Community
Awards
Kilkenny was named as the Academy of Urbanism European Great Town for 2008. The Academy Chairman, John Thompson, said: "it is great to have an Irish town coming through in this year's awards, especially Kilkenny which is coming to terms with economic growth without losing its wonderful character and humour". Kilkenny won the
Irish Tidy Towns Competition
Tidy Towns ( Irish: ''Bailte Slachtmhara'') is an annual competition, first held in 1958, organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development in order to honour the tidiest and most attractive cities, towns and villages in the Republic ...
in 1985.
Twinned cities
Kilkenny is twinned with
Moret-sur-Loing
Moret-sur-Loing (, literally ''Moret on Loing'') is a former commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is situated on the river Loing, close to its confluence with the Seine. Moret–Veneu ...
in France, and
Formigine Formigine ( Modenese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. As of 2007, Formigine had an estimated population of 31,643.
History
Formigine originates from the foundation of its castle in 1201 by the Comune of ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Infrastructure
Education
![George Berkeley by John Smibert](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/George_Berkeley_by_John_Smibert.jpg)
Kilkenny is the home of many noted secondary schools, including the Church of Ireland
Kilkenny College
Kilkenny College is an independent Church of Ireland co-educational day and boarding secondary school located in Kilkenny, in the South-East of Ireland. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland. The school's students are mainly ...
, founded in 1538. This is one of the oldest schools in the country, and its past pupils include
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...
and
George Berkeley.
''A quote from an article "The Berkeley Pavilion" by Patsy Dempsey – Bishop George Berkeley (1685–1753) was one of the great philosophers of his time. He was born near Kilkenny and lived in Dysart Castle, Thomastown. Berkeley studied at Kilkenny College (now
County Hall) from 1696–1700, where Jonathan Swift was a predecessor.''
St. Kieran's College was founded in 1782 and was the first Roman Catholic secondary school in Ireland. It was created after
Grattan's Parliament
The Constitution of 1782 was a group of Acts passed by the Parliament of Ireland and the Parliament of Great Britain in 1782–83 which increased the legislative and judicial independence of the Kingdom of Ireland by reducing the ability of th ...
which permitted some relaxation of the
Penal Laws in the country. There are a number of other second-level schools, including
Loreto Secondary School
Loreto is Italian for laurel-wood. A town in Italy named Loreto holds an important Christian shrine, which lead to the spread of the name to many other countries. It may refer to:
Places Argentina
*Loreto, Santiago del Estero, Argentina
* Loreto ...
,
CBS Kilkenny
CBS Kilkenny ( ga, Scoil na mBráithre Criostaí) is a Roman Catholic school located in Kilkenny, Ireland. It has a sporting tradition in hurling, but also fields teams in rugby and basketball. It is located on James' Street in Kilkenny.
The scho ...
, Coláiste Pobail Osraí, Presentation College and the Kilkenny City Vocational School. Other schools located in the rural areas of the county are Castlecomer Community School, Colaiste Mhuire Johnstown, Scoil Airigeal Ballyhale, St. Brigid's Callan, Grennan College Thomastown and Callan CBS. These also are noted for their focus on the games of hurling and camogie. Gaelscoil Osrai an Irish school in Kilkenny, is the 2nd largest Irish-only school in Ireland with around 450 from Junior Infants to 6th Class.
Maynooth University
The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad), commonly known as Maynooth University (MU), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It w ...
maintained a campus at the grounds of St. Kieran's College from September 1997 until June 2018. The university offered the first year of full-time arts degrees in Kilkenny, with students attending second and third year courses on the main campus in Maynooth.
Roads
The
national primary routes serving Kilkenny include the
N10 (connecting to the
M9 motorway Dublin/Carlow/Waterford route), the
N77 (connecting to Portlaoise and the
M7 motorway), and
N76 (connecting to
Clonmel).
Railway
Kilkenny railway station
Kilkenny railway station (MacDonagh Station), ( ga, Stáisiún Mhic Donncha) serves the city of Kilkenny in County Kilkenny.
It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford intercity route. and was given the name MacDonagh on 10 April 1966 in comme ...
opened on 12 May 1848. Kilkenny acquired
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
links to
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
in 1850,
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
in 1854,
Portlaoise in 1876 and
Castlecomer
Castlecomer (Irish: ''Caislean an Chumai'' meaning "the castle at the confluence of the waters") is a town in the north of County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is positioned at the meeting of N78 and R694 roads about north of Kilkenny city. At th ...
in 1919.
Córas Iompair Éireann closed the Castlecomer and Kilkenny Junction lines in 1962. Kilkenny railway station was renamed McDonagh Station in 1966 after the Irish nationalist, poet and playwright
Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh ( ga, Tomás Anéislis Mac Donnchadha; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising ...
. Kilkenny is a stop on
Iarnród Éireann's
Intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
route between Dublin and Waterford.
From Kilkenny station trains run on the
Dublin-Waterford line, providing connections in
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
to
Clonmel and stations to
Limerick Junction
Limerick Junction ( ga, Gabhal Luimnigh) is the interchange railway station for trains originating in , , , , and stations. The station opened on 3 July 1848.
The station was highly noted for its layout which prior to 1967 required every t ...
. At
Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...
connecting trains provide links to
Ballina,
Westport,
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
,
Ennis,
Ballybrophy
Ballybrophy (historically ''Ballybrohy'', from ) is a village in County Laois, Ireland. It had a population of 145 as of the 2002 census, and forms part of the Borris-in-Ossory electoral area. It is best known for the Ballybrophy railway statio ...
,
Nenagh
Nenagh (, ; or simply ''An tAonach'') meaning “The Fair of Ormond” or simply "The Fair", is the county town and second largest town in County Tipperary in Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the East Munster Ormond ...
,
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Killarney
Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...
,
Tralee
Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in Count ...
and
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
.
Air
Kilkenny Airport is only used for private flying. The nearest airports with scheduled services are
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport (Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south of ...
and
Cork Airport
Cork Airport ( ga, Aerfort Chorcaí, ) is the second-largest of the three principal international airports in Ireland, after Dublin and ahead of Shannon. It is located in Cork City, south of the city centre in an area known as Farmers Cros ...
, which are both in the region of 150 km away.
Industry
![Guinness & Co](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Guinness_%26_Co._-_Kilkenny_Irish_Red%2C_2019.jpg)
The city has a history of
brewing and was home to
St. Francis Abbey Brewery which was founded in the early 18th century by Messrs Cole and Smithwick. The Guinness Ireland Group owned this brewery since the 1960s. At the beginning of the 21st century, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan plc to form
Diageo, the world's largest alcoholic beverage business, and the brewery became part of Diageo Global Supply. In its final years,
Smithwick's Ale
Smithwick's () is an Irish red ale-style beer.
Smithwick's brewery was founded in Kilkenny in 1710 by John Smithwick and run by the Smithwick family of Kilkenny until 1965 when it was acquired by Guinness, now part of Diageo. The Kilkenny ...
formed only a small percentage of production there. Another product was
Kilkenny ale, a close relation of Smithwick's ale. Some 80% of the beer produced at the brewery was
Budweiser
Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States.
''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...
, a brand not owned by Diageo, but produced under licence.
Diageo announced in May 2008 the closure of St. Francis Abbey Brewery, which took place on 31 December 2013. Production was then moved to St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin.
Cooperatives
Kilkenny is also home to the head offices of
Glanbia
Glanbia plc ( ) is an Irish global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries. It has leading market positions in sports nutrition, cheese, dairy ingredients, speciality non-dairy ingredients and vitamin and mineral premixes. Glanbia produc ...
, one of the world's top dairy companies. Glanbia was formed by the
merger of two dairy businesses:
Avonmore and Waterford Foods and has interests in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States and more than 30 other countries.
County Kilkenny Village Creameries amalgamated to create the
Avonmore Creameries brand in 1966. That coop became Avonmore Food plc in 1988 and joined with Waterford Food plc in 1997. It is today known as the global Food giant, Glanbia, one of the world's top nutrition companies, with revenues of over €3.5 billion and 5,815 employees.
In 1966 over 30 local creameries created by local farmers joined with other small rural co-operative societies throughout County Kilkenny and some neighbouring counties, and together with
Unigate Limited support, formed the Avonmore Creameries Federation. According to the Glanbia Collections in Kilkenny Archives at
St Kieran's College
St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the pas ...
, Kilkenny, the Avonmore Coop brand was created through the merger of several dozen village creameries throughout County Kilkenny. Realising the benefits of increased scale and greater diversification in the 1960s, they saw the need for an amalgamation of many small, locally focused co-operatives across Ireland. It led to the construction of a new multi-purpose Avonmore dairy plant facility in
Ballyragget
Ballyragget () is a small town on the river Nore in the north of County Kilkenny in Ireland. Ballyragget is on the N77 north of Kilkenny. As of the 2016 census, it had a population of 1,082 people.
Toponymy
The name 'Ragget' is Anglo-Norm ...
,
County Kilkenny, a plant they claimed was the biggest food processing facility in Europe at that time. Today that giant global entity is known as
Glanbia
Glanbia plc ( ) is an Irish global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries. It has leading market positions in sports nutrition, cheese, dairy ingredients, speciality non-dairy ingredients and vitamin and mineral premixes. Glanbia produc ...
. Glanbia has its origins in the Irish agricultural co-operative movement that evolved over the last century, ever since first Irish Co-operative founded by
Horace Plunkett
Sir Horace Curzon Plunkett (24 October 1854 – 26 March 1932), was an Anglo-Irish agricultural reformer, pioneer of agricultural cooperatives, Unionist MP, supporter of Home Rule, Irish Senator and author.
Plunkett, a younger brother of Jo ...
in 1889. Today
Glanbia
Glanbia plc ( ) is an Irish global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries. It has leading market positions in sports nutrition, cheese, dairy ingredients, speciality non-dairy ingredients and vitamin and mineral premixes. Glanbia produc ...
has operations in 34 countries and is exporting to more than 100 countries worldwide. Glanbia is ranked by revenue (2010 figures) in the top 100 Cooperatives, No 98 in the world and No 1 in Ireland by the
International Co-operative Alliance, the global apex organisation of co-operatives worldwide.
The Ballyhale C.D.S. (1895–1995) 100th-anniversary booklet of its foundation records that a federation of 25 Co-op Creameries originally emerged in January 1965 under the umbrella of Avonmore Creameries Ltd., that shares were taken in the new entity by the society and that in following years a Ballyragget milk processing factory was built. Ireland entered the Common Market in 1970. The first bulk milk collection took place in 1973, when the amalgamation was formalised.
Other
Recent developments in Kilkenny have attracted further investment from local businesses as well as attracting new industries. Leggetsrath Business Park was opened in 2003. There are two retail warehouse parks in Kilkenny: Kilkenny Retail Park and Ormonde Retail Park. Hebron Business Park was constructed in 2002 and is a privately owned extension to the Hebron Industrial Estate, the main centre for industry in Kilkenny.
Hospitals
Hospitals in Kilkenny include three public hospitals and one private hospital.
St. Luke's is a general medical and surgical hospital built in 1942. It is based on Freshford Road and provides a range of local and regional services. Local services include medical, general surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics.
St. Canice's is a psychiatric hospital, opened in 1852 and located on the Dublin Road. It provides a range of mental health services including acute and long stay care, out-patient services throughout the county, addiction counselling services, respite care community hostel facilities and daycare facilities. It also provides paediatric physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.
Kilcreene is the regional orthopaedic hospital outside the city in Kilcreene.
Aut Even is a private hospital based outside Kilkenny City.
Sport
Athletics
The Kilkenny City Harriers Club is an athletics club formed in 1953.
In 1989 Kilkenny was designated as a local sports centre and an all-weather running track and facilities designed to meet
International Association of Athletics Federations
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...
standards was begun.
In 1992 the new track was officially opened and renamed Scanlon Park after Patrick 'Rusty' Scanlon, who had been associated with the old complex both as an athlete and as a soccer player.
GAA
The County Board of
Kilkenny GAA ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Cill Channaigh) has its head office and main grounds at
Nowlan Park
UPMC Nowlan Park (; ) is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Kilkenny, Ireland. Named after James Nowlan (the longest serving President of the GAA), the stadium hosts major hurling matches and is home to the Kilkenny hurling te ...
in the city. The Kilkenny branch of the
GAA was founded in 1887.
Hurling is the dominant sport in the city and county, and Kilkenny has one of the most successful county hurling teams. Secondary schools noted for their contribution to the game include
St. Kieran's College and Christian Brothers School (CBS). Former students who have played for St. Kieran's include
Eddie Keher
Edward Peter Keher (; born 14 October 1941) is an Irish former hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.
Born in Inistioge, County Kilkenny, Keher first played competitive hurling whilst at school in ...
,
Brian Cody
Brian Cody (born 12 July 1954) is an Irish former hurling manager and player and retired schoolmaster. He managed the senior Kilkenny county team between 1998 and 2022, becoming the county's longest-serving manager and most successful in term ...
,
Eoin Kelly,
DJ Carey
Denis Joseph Carey (born 11 November 1970) is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.
Carey began his hurling career at club level with Young Irelands. He broke onto the club's to ...
and
Henry Shefflin
Henry Shefflin (born 11 January 1979) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the current manager of the Galway senior hurling team. In his playing career he was nicknamed "King Henry" because of his directive style, dominance, c ...
. There are three GAA clubs based in the city:
O'Loughlin Gaels GAA
O'Loughlin Gaels is a Gaelic Athletic Association club situated in the St. John’s parish of Kilkenny city, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
The club was founded in 1969, replacing the St. John’s Hurling Club that started back in 1887.
O ...
,
Dicksboro GAA
Dicksboro is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Kilkenny City, Ireland.
History
Dicksboro GAA Club, founded in 1909.
The club takes its name from Dicksboro townland, located next to Kilkenny Airport, the current ground is Palmerstow ...
and
James Stephens (GAA Club)
James Stephens is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The club was founded in 1887 and has enjoyed equal success in both hurling and Gaelic football.
History
James Stephens was founded in 1887 ...
. St John's Parish is the catchment area for O'Loughlin Gaels. The parishes of St Mary's and St Canice's are associated with Dicksboro. St Patrick's parish is the catchment area for the James Stephens club.
Gaelic football is also played in Kilkenny, although it is not as popular as it is in some other Irish counties. The Kilkenny footballers are the only county not to participate in the
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...
. They have previously taken gap years away from League football, and for example did not participate in 2013, after poor runs in 2012 and 2011.
Association football
Kilkenny City AFC played in the
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...
until January 2008. It entered the league as EMFA in 1986, but resigned its position in the league after 22 years citing "lack of finance, poor results and paltry attendances". The club had spent all but two seasons in the League of Ireland's second tier. Kilkenny and District Soccer League run leagues at schoolboy, youth and junior levels throughout the county. It is affiliated with the Leinster Football Association,
Football Association of Ireland and the Schoolboy's Football Association of Ireland.
In 2015
Kilkenny United W.F.C. were admitted to the
Women's National League, the top tier of women's football in Ireland.
Rugby
Kilkenny RFC
Kilkenny RFC is an Irish rugby team based in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, playing in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The club colours are black and white.
Honours
* Leinster Junior Challenge Cup: 1920
* Leinster Towns Cup: 1955, 1959, 1986, ...
founded in 1885,
is a very strong and successful
Rugby Union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club based at Foulkstown on the Waterford Road.
[From th]
official website
of Kilkenny RFC
Kilkenny RFC is an Irish rugby team based in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, playing in Division 1A of the Leinster League. The club colours are black and white.
Honours
* Leinster Junior Challenge Cup: 1920
* Leinster Towns Cup: 1955, 1959, 1986, ...
; see history & The club has provided many players for the Ireland team including Ernie Ridgeway, Bill Tector, Jack Notley,
Willie Duggan,
Ned Byrne, Ronan Kearney and Gary Halpin.
Ian Dowling
Ian Dowling (born 5 October 1982) is an Irish former rugby union and rugby league player. He played underage and junior club rugby with Kilkenny RFC. He won an All-Ireland League medal with Shannon RFC before joining Munster, with whom he has ...
plays for the Munster Rugby team and is a two-time winner of the European Rugby Cup in 2006 and 2008.
Jack Rafferty led the team to several notable victories in 1966.
Rugby is played at schools level by
Kilkenny College
Kilkenny College is an independent Church of Ireland co-educational day and boarding secondary school located in Kilkenny, in the South-East of Ireland. It is the largest co-educational boarding school in Ireland. The school's students are mainly ...
and Kilkenny Christian Brothers School (CBS).
Golf
Kilkenny Golf Club is an 18-hole championship parkland course within the city to the North West, close to the city centre. It has hosted several Professional Championship events. In 1984 and 1996, it was the venue for the All Ireland Mixed Foursome Finals, and in 1985 hosted the All Ireland Cups and Shields Finals. It is playable all year round due to sand-based greens. The course is mostly flat terrain with an abundance of trees.
Around Kilkenny City, there is also a Driving Range in Newpark and an 18-hole all-weather Par 3 golf course in Pocoke.
Mount Juliet Golf Course
The Mount Juliet Hotel & Golf Course is situated in Mount Juliet Estate Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
The Mount Juliet Estate was named by the Earl of Carrick after his wife Juliet, and consists of a Georgian manor home set ...
is a
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
resort situated near Kilkenny in
Thomastown
Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number o ...
.
Jack Nicklaus designed the course, and it is considered to be one of Ireland's best courses.
Cycling
Kilkenny is home to two
Cycling Ireland
Cycling Ireland ( ga, Rothaíocht Éireann) or CI is the operating name of the national governing body of the sport of cycling in the island of Ireland. Formally the body is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the Irish Cycling Federat ...
affiliated cycling clubs, Kilkenny Pedallers and Marble City Cyclers. Since 2016, Kilkenny has been the base for
Rás na mBan
Rás na mBan is an international stage cycle road race for women in Ireland.
It was first run in 2006 and has run annually since.
The event began as a two-day race based in Dublin and became a three-day event in 2008 when it moved to a new base ...
, a women's cycling event which consists of six stages over five days to a total of over 400 km. Previous editions have featured stage finishes throughout County Kilkenny, including in Kilkenny city.
Ice hockey
Kilkenny City Storm is a mixed
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
team which was formed in 2007, and plays in the
Irish Ice Hockey Association Recreational Division League. The team also has an
inline hockey
Roller inline hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The spo ...
team, playing in the Northern Inline Hockey League and the Irish inline hockey (roller hockey) league.
Notable residents
In ''Kilkenny: The Landed Gentry & Aristocracy'', Art Kavanagh
devotes a chapter each to eighteen of the most prominent Kilkenny families, chosen 'on a random geographical basis to ensure even distribution over the entire county', as follows: Agar of
Gowran,
Blunden of Castle Blunden,
Bryan of Jenkinstown,
Butler (Lords Carrick),
Butler of Maidenhall,
Butler (Lords Mountgarret),
Butler (Earls of Ormonde),
Cuffe (Lords Desart),
De Montmorency,
Flood of Farmley,
Langrishe of
Knocktopher
Knocktopher (historically ''Knocktofer'' and ''Knocktover''; ) is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is situated on the R713 road between the villages of Stoneyford to the north, and Ballyhale to the south. It was formerly situated on ...
,
Loftus of Mount Juliet,
McCalmont of Mount Juliet,
Ponsonby (Earls of Bessborough),
Power of Kilfane,
Smithwick of Kilcreene,
St George of
Freshford and
Wandesforde of Catlecomer.
See also
*
Switzer's Asylum, homes for the elderly
*
Kilkenny Archaeological Society
The Kilkenny Archaeological Society is an archaeological society in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
The Kilkenny Archaeological Society was founded in 1946.. An older society with the same name existed,. which developed into the Royal Socie ...
, Ireland's first historical society, founded in 1849
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
*
List of townlands in County Kilkenny
*
List of abbeys and priories in County Kilkenny
*
Kilkenny (beer)
Kilkenny is a nitrogenated Irish cream ale from the makers of Guinness, which originated in Kilkenny, Ireland. The brand is managed and produced by Diageo. It is available in draught, bottles and cans. It is brewed in Ireland. Kilkenny is s ...
, a brand of beer produced by Guinness
*
Kilkenny cat
The Kilkenny cats are a fabled pair of cats from County Kilkenny (or Kilkenny city in particular) in Ireland, who fought each other so ferociously that only their tails remained at the end of the battle. Often the absurd implication is that th ...
, nickname for a tenacious fighter
*
Kilkenny (surname) Kilkenny is a surname. Notable persons with that surname include:
* Allison Kilkenny (born 1983), American journalist and podcaster
* Jimmy Kilkenny (1934–2003), footballer
* John C. Kilkenny, film executive
* John Kilkenny (1901–1995), U.S ...
References
Footnotes
Notes
Further reading
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External links
Kilkenny County Councilnbsp;– Official website of the local authority for Kilkenny
Kilkenny Tourismnbsp;– Official tourism site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilkenny (City)
Boroughs in the Republic of Ireland
Census towns in County Kilkenny
Cities in the Republic of Ireland
County towns in the Republic of Ireland
County Kilkenny
Leinster
Towns and villages in County Kilkenny