Cities in Kilkenny County

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History of Kilkenny

Until the late 12th century, Kilkenny was the capital of Ireland. The Statutes of Kilkenny (1366) got their name from the 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 Kilkenny College, founded in 1538 and one of the oldest schools in the country. This college has had several notable students, including both Jonathan Swift and George Berkeley. St. Kieran's College, founded in 1782, was the first 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 Ossary, Kilkenny is still the seat of the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Ossary.

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.

Modified: 2007-04-12 14:14:23+02
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilkenny

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Kilkenny city map in cca. 1780

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilkenny