KILKENNY (Gael_ 'Church of Saint Kenny. or Canices1. The capital of the County of Kil kenny, Ireland. and itself a civic county, situated on the Yore, 73 miles south-southwest of Dublin by rail (Map: Ireland, D 4). The city owes its origin to the cathedral church of the Diocese of ossory, whiell dates from the twelfth century. The Anglican Cathedral of Saint Canice dates from 1052; the partially restored abbey Church of Saint John's, called the 'Black Abbey,' is one of the few ancient Irish churches now in actual occupation for the religious use of Roman Catholics. The College or Grammar School of Kilkenny was founded in the sixteenth century. Here Swift. Congreve. and Berkeley were edu cated. Saint Kyran's College is an educational establishment for the Roman Catholics. and is interesting as one of the first opened by them after the repeal of the law which made Catholic education penal in the country. From the time of the invasion, Kilkenny was a strong seat of the English power, its picturesque castle dating from the time of 'William. Earl of Pembroke. in 1195.
Kilkenny has manufacturing establishments of blankets and coarse woolen and linen cloths, although of late they have much declined. There are large marble-works and a large and active provision trade, the chief outlet of which is 'Waterford. with which Kilkenny is connected both by river and by rail. The town returns one member to the British Parliament. During the Civil War Kilkenny sided with the King. and after a year's siege honorably capitulated to Cromwell in 1650. Swift's satire of the "Kil kenny Cats." which fought till their tails Acme were left, illustrates the disputes on boundaries and rights between Kilkenny and Irishtown in the seventeenth century. which were maintained until both towns became bankrupt. Population, in 1891, 11.048: in 1901. 10.493. Consult Healy, History of Kilkenny (Kilkenny. 1893).