Ireland Guide
Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford
Kilkenny city
Unquestionably Ireland's most characterful medieval city, Kilkenny straddles the broad River Nore, doglegging past its imposing castle. Downhill from here lies a compact grid of narrow streets, dating back to the city's origins, though little of its former gated walls remains. North of the city the major attraction is formed by the strange calcite formations in Dunmore Cave.
The first known settlement at Kilkenny is believed to have been a sixth-century monastic community founded by St Canice. After the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in 1169, Strongbow erected a motte and bailey fort, overlooking the Nore, in 1172, which was later replaced by a stronger stone structure, constructed by his son-in-law, William, the Earl Marshal. The latter set about fortifying the entire town, by means of the city walls and towers and forced the local and Catholic Irish population to construct dwellings outside its boundaries in an area still known as "Irishtown" today. Subsequently, the city's ownership passed through various hands, before James Butler, the third Earl of Ormonde, purchased the demesne in 1391.
Following the 1641 Rebellion, Kilkenny became the focus for the Catholic Confederation, an unlikely alliance of royalists loyal to Charles I and Irish landowners dispossessed by the Plantation. This established a parliament in Kilkenny, aimed at attaining Irish self-government and, in the process, restoring the rights of Catholics. However, its powers were short-lived, and, after Cromwell's arrival in 1650, the city's prosperity and power began to dwindle.
Nonetheless, nowadays Kilkenny still possesses an undoubted grandeur, largely untarnished by inappropriate modern building developments and, thanks to its castle and numerous other sights, as well as a lively nightlife and cultural scene, has become an integral part of the Irish tourist trail.
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