Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle, the signature seembol o the Mediaeval ceity

Kilkenny (Erse: Cill Chainnigh, meaning "Cell or church o Cainnech/Canice") is a ceity an is the admeenistrative centre o Coonty Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on baith banks o the meandering River Nore, at the centre o County Kilkenny in the province o Leinster in the sooth-east o Ireland. Kilkenny is describit as Kilkenny Ceity or the Ceity o Kilkenny an is administered as a borough, wi a twal-person Borough Council an a Mayor. The borough haes a population o 8,661, houiver the majority o the population live ootside the borough boundary, the 2006 Erse Census gies the tot population o the Borough & Environs as 22,179.

Kilkenny is a popular tourist destination in Ireland. In 2009 the City o Kilkenny celebrated its 400t year syne the granting o ceity status in 1609. Kilkenny's heritage is evident in the ceity an environs includin the heestoric buildings sic as Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Cathedral an roond tower, Rothe House, Shee Alms House, Black Abbey, St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny Town Hall, St. Francis Abbey, Grace's Castle, an St. John's Priory. Kilkenny is regarded for its cultur wi craft an design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens an museums. Annual events include Kilkenny Arts Week, the Cat Laughs comedy festival an muisic at the Rhythm an Roots festival an the Source concert. It is a popular base tae explore the surroondin touns, villages an kintraside.

Kilkenny began wi an early saxt century ecclesiastical foundation. Follaein Norman invasion o Ireland, Kilkenny Castle an a series of walls war biggit tae pertect the burghers. William Marshall, Lord o Leinster, gae Kilkenny a charter as a toun in 1207. Bi the late thirteent century Kilkenny wis unner Norman-Erse control. The Statutes o Kilkenny passed at Kilkenny in 1367, aimed tae curb the decline o the Hiberno-Norman Lordship o Ireland. In 1609 Keeng James I o England granted Kilkenny a Royal Charter giein it the status o a ceity. Follaein the Rebellion o 1641, the Erse Catholic Confederation, kent as the "Confederation o Kilkenny" an aw, an wis based in Kilkenny an lasted until the Cromwellian conquest o Ireland in 1649. Kilkenny wis a Norman merchant toun in the Middle Ages. Kilkenny wis a famous brewing centre frae the late seiventeent century. In the late twentiet century Kilkenny is a tourist an creative centre.

The Heritage Council offices ar locatit at Church Lane. The seat o the Roman Catholic Bishop o Ossory is at St. Mary's Cathedral an the Church o Ireland Bishop o Cashel an Ossory is at St. Canice's Cathedral. Nearby muckler ceities include Waterford 45 km (28 miles) sooth-southeast, Limerick 93 km (58 miles) wast an Dublin 101 km (63 miles) northeast.

Toponymy

Signatures of the Four Masters.

Kilkenny is the anglicised version of the Erse Cill Chainnigh, meanin Cell/Church o Cainneach or Canice. This relates tae a kirk biggit in honour o St. Canice on the hill nou containing St. Canice's Cathedral an the roond tower. This seems tae be the first major dounset. The early Christian origin o the roond tower suggests an early ecclesiastical foundation at Kilkenny.

{{cquote| Ceall-Cainnigh wis for the maist part burned. |20px|20px|- Fower Masters , Annals o the Fower Masters, 1085.

The Annals o the Fower Masters recorded Kilkenny in 1085. Prior tae this time the early 6t century territory wis kent as Osraighe, referring tae the whole destrict or the caipital. The Fower Masters entry wis the first instance whaur the caipital wis cried Ceall-Cainnigh (modernized Kilkenny). Cill Chainnigh wis a major monastic centre frae at least the aicht century. Thare is no mention o Cill Chainnigh in the lives o Cainnech o Aghaboe, Ciarán o Saighir or ony o the early annals o Ireland suggestin that Cill Chainnigh wis nae o auncient civil importance.

Kilkenny is describit as a ceity in the Local Government Act 2001- {{cquote|"the continued uise o the description ceity in relation to Kilkenny, to the extent that that description wis uised before the establishment day".|20px|20px|- Local Government Act 2001