Kilkenny

Kilkenny (from Irish: Cill Chainnigh meaning "Cell or church of Cainnech/Canice")^[1] is a city^[2] and is the administrative centre of County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the meandering River Nore, at the centre of County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. Kilkenny is described as Kilkenny City or the City of Kilkenny and is administered as a borough, with a twelve-person Borough Council and a Mayor. The borough has a population of 8,661, however the majority of the population live outside the borough boundary, the 2006 Irish Census gives the total population of the Borough & Environs as 22,179.

Kilkenny is a popular tourist destination in Ireland. In 2009 the City of Kilkenny celebrated its 400th year since the granting of city status in 1609.^[3] Kilkenny's heritage is evident in the city and environs including the historic buildings such as Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House,Shee Alms House, Black Abbey, St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny Town Hall, St. Francis Abbey, Grace's Castle, and St. John's Priory. Kilkenny is regarded for its culture with craft and design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens and museums. Annual events include Kilkenny Arts Week, the Cat Laughscomedy festival and music at the Rhythm and Roots festival and the Source concert. It is a popular base to explore the surrounding towns, villages and countryside.

Kilkenny began with an early sixth century ecclesiastical foundation. Following Norman invasion of Ireland, Kilkenny Castle and a series of walls were built to protect the burghers. William Marshall, Lord of Leinster, gave Kilkenny a charter as a town in 1207. By the late thirteenth century Kilkenny was under Norman-Irish control. The Statutes of Kilkenny passed at Kilkenny in 1367, aimed to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland. In 1609 King James I of England granted Kilkenny a Royal Charter giving it the status of a city. Following the Rebellion of 1641, the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny", and was based in Kilkenny and lasted until the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. Kilkenny was a Norman merchant town in the Middle Ages. Kilkenny was a famous brewing centre from the late seventeenth century. In the late twentieth century Kilkenny is a tourist and creative centre.

The Heritage Council offices are located at Church Lane. The seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory is at St. Mary's Cathedral and the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cashel and Ossory is at St. Canice's Cathedral. Nearby larger cities include Waterford 45 km (28 miles) south-southeast, Limerick 93 km (58 miles) west and Dublin 101 km (63 miles) northeast.^[4]