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For other uses, see Kilkenny (disambiguation).
| Kilkenny Cill Chainnigh | ||
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| Location | ||
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: | ||
| Irish grid reference S506563 | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kilkenny | |
| Area: | 3.74 km² | |
| Elevation: | 60 m (196 ft) | |
| Population (2006) | 22,179 | |
| Website: www.kilkennycity.ie | ||
Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh - "The Church of St. Canice") is the county seat of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The city proper has a population of 22,179; it is the Ireland\'s smallest city both by area and population. It is in fact so small that there are some towns bigger than it. Kilkenny is located on the River Nore.
Kilkenny was granted a Royal Charter in 1609 by King James I; its status as a city was most recently recognised by Section 10(7) of the Local Government Act 2001, which allows "the continued use of the description city", although it does not have a city council like the other Irish cities, but rather a borough council instead.
Kilkenny, spanning the river Nore, is the only city in the Ireland that is not tidal. It is also the only city in the Republic that has neither an institute of technology nor a university; although the National University of Ireland, Maynooth maintains an outreach centre at St. Kieran\'s College.
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Kilkenny / "Cill Chainnigh" - the church of Canice - was an important town, even from pre-Christian times. Its origins appear to be focused on the high ground now occupied by St Canice\'s Cathedral. The round tower here is the only above ground remnant of the early medieval monastery founded by the Irish saint - Canice himself. The surrounding area of the Irishtown, as it has been known since the Norman invasion, is therefore the oldest part of the city. The earliest church is presumed to have been built of wood being replaced eventually in the later medieval period by a romanesque-style stone church. This was in turn replaced by the current imposing medieval cathedral.
A number of other religious sites around the city have given their names to many of the streets including Michael St., John St, Abbey Street and Patrick St.
The Norman presence in the town is still the most palpable. Located at a prominent bend in the River Nore, where an outcrop of rock presents a natural vantage point, the castle is built. This lies on the site of earlier wattle and mud structures and was the site of the fortifications of the Fitzpatricks and the O\'Carrolls (840 A.D.), amongst others. Though the religious origins of the city are well documented, it is not known as yet quite how early these secular structures are. Later medieval life in the city was often lively with a series of walls built to protect the good burghers.
The kingdom of "Ossory", delineated by the rivers Suir and Nore, was governed by Kilkenny.
In early Norman times - until the late 12th century - Kilkenny was the capital of the colony in Ireland. It also became the home of a preceptory of the Knights of St Thomas.
The Statutes of Kilkenny (1366) got their name from the then Irish Parliament in Kilkenny. The statutes contained nineteen clauses, their general provision being to reduce the influence of the Irish on the Normans. They prohibited intermarriage as well as the customs and language of the Irish, which were considered to have had an adverse effect on the Norman settlers. The statutes also attempted to outlaw Brehon Laws.
Kilkenny was the capital of Confederate Ireland between 1642 and 1649, until it surrendered during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
Kilkenny is the home of two noted schools, both of which are historically important. One is the Church of Ireland Kilkenny College, founded in 1538 and one of the oldest schools in the country. This school has had several notable students, including both Jonathan Swift and George Berkeley. St. Kieran\'s College, founded in 1782, was the first Roman Catholic secondary school in Ireland and was created as Grattan\'s Parliament caused some relaxation of the Penal Laws in the country. St. Kieran\'s is a noted centre of the ancient Irish sport of hurling and has seen many famous hurling stars wearing the school\'s colours.
Set approximately in the centre of the ancient Kingdom of Ossory, Kilkenny is still the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory and the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cashel and Ossory.
Kilkenny railway station opened on 12 May 1848.Kilkenny station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. Kilkenny acquired railway links to Dublin in 1850, Waterford in 1854, Portlaoise in 1876 and Castlecomer in 1919. Córas Iompair Éireann closed the Castlecomer and Kilkenny Junction lines in 1962. Kilkenny railway station was renamed McDonagh in 1966. Kilkenny remains an important stop on Iarnród Éireann\'s Intercity route between Dublin and Waterford.
Unlike other countries, the location of railway stations in Ireland was closely related to military matters rather than trade or public transport. Kilkenny railway station is a fine example of this peculiarity, with the military barracks being closely positioned to the railway station - a very short march for troops.
A view of Kilkenny Castle. The city was also the location of an Irish Parliament and is Ireland\'s smallest city. |
The city is famous for its many medieval buildings and has been referred to as the "Marble City" for centuries. The black stone with decorative white fossils that forms the backbone of many of Kilkenny\'s fine buildings was quarried locally, particularly from the Black Quarry located by the roadside, 1.6 km (1 mi) south of the city, past the castle. An exposed rock face can still be seen from the road. Kilkenny Marble or Black Marble was exported to all corners of the British Empire.
The city is dominated by both Kilkenny Castle and Saint Canice\'s Cathedral, the latter built beside an excellent example of a well-preserved Round Tower. The Church of Ireland Cathedral is named after Saint Canice, who also gave his name to the town (Cill Chainnigh is Irish for "Church of Canice"). Also of note is the Dominican \'Black Abbey\', founded in 1225, lying just off Parliament Street.
St. Canice\'s Cathedral.
The 13th century cathedral of St Canice is the second longest cathedral in Ireland . The site on which the cathedral stands has been a site of Christian worship since the 6th century. The architectural style of the cathedral is Early Gothic and it is built of limestone. The cathedral has been carefully preserved in its original style and form. It is richly endowed with many stained glass windows including the East window which is a replica of the original 13th century window. The cathedral contains some of the finest 16th century monuments in Ireland . The memorials stretch right across the social spectrum from the great figures of the house of Ormonde to the humble shoemaker and carpenter. The baptismal font is original and the ancient stone of enthronement for bishops still exists under the seat of the mediaeval throne in the North Transept, where to this day the bishops of Ossory are enthroned. The continental carvings on the choir stalls and the hammerbeam roof are not to be missed. Beside the cathedral stands the 9th century round tower. It may once have been a watchtower and a refuge and it can be climbed to give an unsurpassing vantage point to view the city of Kilkenny and the surrounding countryside (weather permitting).
View of Kilkenny in 2001
The town has a history of brewing and is home to St. Francis Abbey Brewery which was founded in the early 18th Century by Messrs Cole and Smithwick. The Guinness Ireland Group had 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 is now a part of Diageo Global Supply. Smithwick\'s Ale now forms only a small percentage of production there. Another product is Kilkenny ale , a close relation of Smithwicks ale. Some 80% of beer produced at the brewery is Budweiser, a brand not owned by Diageo, but produced under licence.
Kilkenny is also home to the head offices of Glanbia foods, one of the world\'s top dairy companies. Glanbia was formed by the merger of two dairy businesses: Avonmore and Waterford foods, it employs a total of around 4000 people and has interests in Ireland, the UK and the USA.
Recent developments in Kilkenny have attracted further investment from local businesses as well as attracting new industry. Leggetsrath Business Park was opened in 2003 and is home to Glanbia\'s innovation centre, Wellstone Clinic, KCLR (local radio station) headquarters, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Premier Recruitment and other businesses.
There are two retail warehouse parks in Kilkenny City; Kilkenny Retail Park and Ormonde Retail Park. Kilkenny Retail Park has expanded with several big names occupying its premises; Byrne\'s toystore, Woodie\'s Home and DIY store, Carpet Right, Land of Leather and D.I.D Electricals with Meubles furniture coming soon.
Ormonde Retail Park on the Dublin Road is home to Chadwick\'s Builder-providers, Electrocity, Furniture Depot, Doyles Hire, Noyeks Ltd and Pat Mc Donnell Paints. It is also set to expand in 2007/08 as a result of increased demand for such development and increasing competition from the likes of Carlow and Clonmel.
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. The new link road to the N9 between Dublin and Waterford will improve access to Hebron Business Park and Industrial Estate.
Kilkenny Castle
Kilkenny have won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 30 times, most recently in 2007. Kilkenny is one of the foremost counties in Ireland for proficiency in the ancient Irish game of hurling. This very fast and exciting field sport is indigenous to Ireland and is most popular in the geographical southern regions in the provinces of Leinster and Munster. Kilkenny is one of the counties where certain players (e.g. DJ Carey) can attain a celebrity status.
Kilkenny is also home to St. Kieran\'s College, a secondary school that is possibly the country\'s top hurling academy. Many of the most famous names of hurling history have worn the black and white of St. Kieran\'s, including Eddie Keher, Brian Cody and DJ Carey.
Kilkenny has many hurling clubs including O\'Loughlin Gaels, James Stephens and the reigning All-Ireland club champions, Ballyhale Shamrocks.
Kilkenny City AFC played in the first division of the Football League of Ireland until January 2008. It entered the league as EMFA in 1986, but resigned their position in the league after 22 years citing “lack of finance, poor results and paltry attendances”. Kilkenny and District Soccer League run leagues at schoolboy, youths and junior level throughout the county. It is affiliated to Leinster Football Association, Football Association of Ireland and the Schoolboy’s Football Association of Ireland.
The city of Kilkenny received some recognition when, during the 2006-07 season, it was featured in a gag on the long running British football show Soccer AM. Due to popular requests the Soccer AM crew included the Irish forecast in their satirical segment called Topless Weather. When crew member Sheephead delivered the forecast, he pointed at Ireland and said "Oh my God, it\'s Kilkenny" in reference to the city of Kilkenny and a play on the famous South Park joke.
Kilkenny Rugby Football Club has a very strong and successful Rugby Union club based at Foulkstown on the Waterford Road. 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 playing for the Munster Rugby team was the winner of a European Rugby Cup medal at Cardiff in May 2006.
Despite the city\'s lack of an ice rink, Kilkenny is home to the Kilkenny City Storm ice hockey team, who play in the Irish Ice Hockey Association Development League. The Storm are one of the top two teams in the league, which is currently in its inaugural year. The Storm consists of both local and foreign players, who travel to Dundalk Ice Dome every week for training and matches, with the players themselves footing transport and ice rental costs. The team also enjoys moderate success as an inline hockey team, playing in the Northern Inline Hockey League.
Kilkenny has a rich and vibrant music scene which reaches out to all walks of life.
The medieval Kilkenny Castle and the Zoo nightclub are just some of the current music venues, that host up and coming local acts.
Cleere\'s pub and theatre in Parliament Street is one of the best venues for touring Irish and international bands - indie, jazz, blues - a good mix. They also have a trad music session once a week as does Ryan\'s on Friary Street. John Street caters to the more mainstream musical tastes with a number of nightclubs playing charts etc. The Kilkenny Arts Festival embraces Musical acts of all ages and styles.
More classical tastes can be catered for in St. Canices Cathedral itself where classical music and choirs often perform. The Klikenny Choir and a gospel choir meet frequently and sing in the churches especially.
Kilkenny is a popular tourist destination in Ireland as well a weekend getaway for the Irish themselves. Well regarded for its cultural life it always tended to attract a more refined visitor. Recent years have seen its popularity with Stag and Hen parties rise dramatically. These are drawn to the \'vibrant nightlife\' in the city, mainly on John Street. The streets thrive with life at night and the pubs enjoy an atmosphere to which everyone flocks to enjoy the craic.
Art galleries, craft and design workshops, a cartoon studio, theatre and a film club, historic buildings such as the castle with its public gardens and even a small museum are some of the culprits making Kilkenny unusually attractive considering its size. Similarly sized towns in many other parts of the country are often cultural backwaters.
Kilkenny plays host to the annual Smithwicks Cat Laughs Comedy festival which makes Kilkenny the "Comedy Capital of the World". There is also an annual Arts Festival, usually in late August. During this time Kilkenny is flooded with traditional and foreign music, beautiful paintings and sculptures and many other creative things.
The rhythm and roots festival brings more music, but from a broader spectrum, and the annual concerts in Nolan Park have brought acts such as Rod Stewart, Shania Twain, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Andrea Bocelli. Recently it has been announced that Dolly Parton is to be the 2008 headliner at the concert.
In keeping with the cultural theme in this tiny city a new Museum and Arts Centre is on the drawing board. This is to be built down by the river, between the castle and the brewery.
Rothe House on Parliament Street is also improving and the future here is green with a reconstructed Tudor garden due to open in 2008. The garden is based on an original plan.
The Heritage Council, a national body based in Kilkenny, has been renovating and conserving the imposing medieval Bishop\'s Palace beside St. Canice\'s Cathedral. It will serve as their headquarters when they move from their current home in the Tudor era Rothe House. This is a great step for Kilkenny as the palace had been run down and now it can enjoy a new lease of life.
A conservation plan for the walls of Kilkenny has recently been published by the Heritage Council. This documents the current state of the neglected medieval city walls and outlines how they are to be conserved for the future. The plan is also to make the walls more visible in the streetscape so that locals and visitors alike are made subtly aware of the city\'s history.
There is a new shopping centre in the city for all good consumers. The MacDonagh Junction shopping centre, at the city\'s train station, opened in 2007. It brings shops such as 3, River Island, Virgin Megastore, TK Maxx etc. to Kilkenny - the usual assortment found in the latest incarnation of shopping heaven born of the celtic tiger.
The City Mart, part of the re-development of the old Cattle mart into yet another mall, has just been refused planning permission as the planners acknowledge the lack of infrastructure for two such large shopping centres beside one another in a small place like Kilkenny. These new shopping centres will bring a new lease of life to the City and will prevent the loss of shoppers to places such as nearby Carlow and Waterford according to some - a rather parochial view of the pros.
A 20 year old plan for an \'inner relief road\' to be built through the medieval city core is currently being pushed again in order to facilitate such commercial ventures. An alternative plan to continue the \'ring road\' around the city away from the quaint and beautiful medieval streets is gaining momentum with those who value the finer aspects of Kilkenny\'s rich heritage. A Kilkenny native, John Bradley, Professor Of History at Maynooth University has recently likened the old plan to running a road through the medieval centre of Florence - it just wouldn\'t be considered in Italy.
Kilkenny is also undergoing redevelopment with regards its streets. The parade, the junction of High Street with Patrick Street and Rose Inn Street, will be redeveloped soon, bringing a \'much needed\' new look to such an important area in the city. Also Castle Road, Canal Square and the Canal in the city will be redeveloped, improving current amenities.
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 growh without losing its wonderful character and humour".Academy of Urbanism
Jerpoint Abbey E 1997 08 28.jpg
Jerpoint Abbey |
Kilkenny Beer |
Smithwick\'s Beer, formerly brewed in Kilkenny |
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| Places in County Kilkenny, Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Kilkenny | ||
| Towns |
Ballyragget | Callan | Castlecomer | Graiguenamanagh | Mullinavat | Thomastown | Urlingford |
|
| Villages |
Ballyhale | Bennettsbridge | Carigeen | Castlewarren | Freshford | Galmoy | Goresbridge | Gowran | Hugginstown | Inistioge | Jenkinstown | Johnstown | Johnswell | Killamery | Killinaspick | Kilmacow | Kilmoganny | Knocktopher | Mooncoin | Paulstown | Piltown | Redhouse | The Rower | Slieverue | Stoneyford | Tullaroan | Windgap | |
| Townlands |
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| See also |
| |
| Counties of Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Connacht |
|
| Munster |
Clare · Cork (Cork City) · Kerry · Limerick (Limerick City) · Tipperary (North Tipperary • South Tipperary) · Waterford (Waterford City) |
| Leinster |
Carlow · Dublin (Dublin City • Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown • Fingal • South Dublin) · Kildare · Kilkenny · Laois · Longford · Louth · Meath · Offaly · Westmeath · Wexford · Wicklow |
| Ulster |
Cavan · Donegal · Monaghan · Antrim · Armagh · Down · Fermanagh · Londonderry · Tyrone |
| Italics denote non-administrative counties · (Parentheses) denote eponymous cities or non-traditional counties | |
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