Kilkenny Kilkenny Piccadilly Line Category="Cities in Ireland"Category="Cities in the Republic of Ireland"Category="Towns in Kilkenny"
For other uses, see Kilkenny (disambiguation).

City of Kilkenny
Map
Map highlighting the City of Kilkenny
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
Area: 3.74 km²
County: County Kilkenny
Population: 8,591 (2002)
Province: Leinster

Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh) is the county seat of County Kilkenny, Ireland, with a population (including environs) of 20,735. The city is located on the River Nore and is the only city in the Republic of Ireland that is not tidal. It is also the only city in the republic that is not a County borough and so its administration is a "borough council", rather than "city council" as with the other cities. Kilkenny is also the only city in the republic that has neither an institute of technology nor University although National University of Ireland, Maynooth maintains an outreach center in the city. Kilkenny is famed for its history and nightlife.

History

The Statutes of Kilkenny (1366) got its name from the then Irish Parliament in Kilkenny. The statute contained nineteen clauses, their general provision being to reduce the influence of the Irish on the Normans. It prohibited intermarriage as well the customs and language of the Irish, which were considered to have has an adverse effect on the Norman settlers. The statute 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.

Architecture

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The city is famous for its many mediæval buildings and is referred to as the "Marble City" for hundreds of years, but the black stone with decorative white fossils that forms the backbone of many of Kilkenny's fine buildings is actually polished Limestone which has been quarried from around the city for centuries.

The city is dominated by Kilkenny Castle and Saint Canice's Cathedral. The latter is named for Saint Canice, who also gave his name to the town (Cill Chainnigh is Irish for "Church of Canice"). Also of notice is the Dominican 'Black Abbey', founded in 1225, lying on Parliament Street.

The Estate of Ballylinch was granted to Oliver Grace, a descendant of the Norman adventurer Raymond Fitzwilliam le Gros. Oliver's son Gerald built Ballylinch Castle and moved here from Legan Castle in 1563. However, the Graces were dispossessed by Cromwell, who granted Ballylinch to one of his followers, Colonel Daniel Redman, in 1654. His daughter Eleanor married James Butler, 3rd Viscount Ikerrin moved their residence to Ballylinch from Lismalin in Tipperary.

Industry

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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. This brewery had been owned by the Guinness Ireland Group 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 the ale Kilkenny, a close relation of the ale Smithwicks. Kilkenny ale was originally created specifically for the export market to help those who found the word "Smithwicks" difficult to pronounce, but has since carved out a place for itself in the Irish beer market. 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 and a factory of Glanbia. Glanbia is one of the world's top Cheese and dairy companies. Glanbia was formed from the merging of two dairy businesses: Avonmore and Waterford foods. Glanbia has interests in Ireland, the UK and the USA, and employs a total of about 4000 people.

Additional reading

External links

Cities in Ireland
Republic of Ireland: Dublin | Cork | Limerick | Galway | Waterford | Kilkenny
Northern Ireland: Belfast | Derry | Armagh | Newry | Lisburn