Kilkenny is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore.
Kilkenny is a tourist destination, and its environs include 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 also known for its craft and design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens and museums. Annual events include Kilkenny Arts Festival, the Cat Laughs comedy festival and music at the Kilkenny Roots Festival.
Kilkenny began with an early sixth-century ecclesiastical foundation within the Kingdom of Ossory. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, Kilkenny Castle and a series of walls were built to protect the burghers of what became a Norman merchant town. William Marshall, Lord of Leinster, gave Kilkenny a charter as a town in 1207. By the late thirteenth century, Kilkenny was under Hiberno-Norman 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 Irish Rebellion of 1641, the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the “Confederation of Kilkenny”, was based in Kilkenny and lasted until the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. From 1840 onwards, Kilkenny has not been administered as a city under local government law, but the Local Government Reform Act 2014 provides for “the continued use of the description city”.
Kilkenny was a brewing centre from the late seventeenth century, and still houses a number of breweries. The Heritage Council offices are at Church Lane in the former Bishop’s Palace. 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.
Landmarks
The Landmarks of Kilkenny show Kilkenny’s heritage through the historical buildings. Kilkenny is a well-preserved medieval town and is dominated by both Kilkenny Castle and St. Canice’s Cathedral and round tower.
Kilkenny Castle and some important historical architecture of the medieval city survive, like parts of the Kilkenny City Walls. They 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 on Parliament Street is an example of an Elizabethan merchant townhouse located on the only completely surviving burgage plot 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 in England.
Visitor attractions in Kilkenny and its environs include Kilkenny Castle and Gardens including the Butler Gallery, St. Canice’s Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House and Garden, Shee Alms House, Kilkenny Courthouse, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kilkenny City Hall, the Dominican Black Abbey, St. John’s Church, Butler House, Kilkenny ‘Slips’ and St. Francis Abbey Brewery. Smithwick’s Experience Castle Park. 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, Jerpoint Abbey, Dunmore Caves, Woodstock Estate and Jenkinstown Park.
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 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 north west 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.[42]
St. Canice’s Cathedral and tower
St Canice’s Cathedral, 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.
Cruciform, the cathedral was built in the Early English, or English Gothic, style of architecture, of limestone, with a low central tower supported on black marble columns. The exterior walls, apart from the gables, are embattled, and there are two small spires 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 an excellent example of a well-preserved early Christian (9th century) Round Tower. 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 was founded in 1225, and lying just off Parliament Street.
Bridges
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.
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.[44] 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 (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 140 ft (43 m) 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 2 ft 6 in (0.76 m) to 2 ft (0.61 m) deep. The traverse deck beams are each 2 ft (0.61 m) 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. 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 the Bleach Road. It was one of the largest employers in the area; the site covers 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) 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 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 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, St. Canice’s Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kells Priory, Kilkenny Town Hall, Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny, and Black Abbey.
Arts and festivals
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 the best of 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, Giant Sand, Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo, Guy Clark, Chuck Prophet, Ray LaMontagne, Richmond Fontaine, Rodney Crowell, Phosphorescent, Sturgill Simpson and Alabama Shakes.
Kilkenny hosts the annual Cat Laughs comedy festival every June bank holiday week.
The Kilkenny Arts Festival 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,[50] drawing tens of thousands of visitors.
Each 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.
The new Butler Gallery in Evan’s Home was due to open in April 2020, with the opening delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak, it is now meant to open in August 2020. Before moving to Evan’s Home, it was located in the former kitchens of Kilkenny Castle.
Music
Music in Kilkenny is a rich and vibrant music scene with traditional Irish Music and artists such as Kerbdog, Engine Alley, R.S.A.G., My Little Funhouse and groups like Kilkenny Music. Many pubs have Irish traditional music sessions. Kerbdog was an Alternative rock band from Kilkenny who began writing in 1991. Engine Alley is a power pop band, who would go on to tour North America and Europe, having been signed to U2‘s Mother Records. R.S.A.G.’s double album Organic Sampler received a Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year 2008 in 2009.
The Kilkenny Roots Festival takes place each May Bank Holiday weekend.
The Kilkenny Arts Festival is held every August. A concert, ‘Source’, is held in Nowlan Park and has attracted musical performers such as Rod Stewart, Shania Twain, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Andrea Bocelli. Dolly Parton headlined at the 2008 event. Bruce Springsteen played 2 consecutive nights in July 2013 to finish the European leg of his World tour.
Classical tastes are catered for in St Canice’s Cathedral, where classical musicians and choirs often perform. The Kilkenny Choir and a Gospel Choir frequently perform in churches throughout the town. Groups like Ex Cathedra have played during the Kilkenny Arts Festival. Cleere’s pub and theatre on Parliament Street is well 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, Dublin Royalists 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[edit]
Award-winning animated studio Cartoon Saloon, as well as the film production companies Young Irish Film Makers and Mycrofilms, are all based in Kilkenny. Kilkenny has also hosted the Subtitle European Film Festival each November since 2012.
