Kilkennytown

Kilkenny (town) ("Church of St. Canice"), the capital of Co. Kilkenny, is a parliamentary borough, on the Nore, 81 miles S.W. of Dublin by railway. St. Canice's Cathedral is an Early English building, the oldest part of which, the choir, dates from the close of the 12th century. Near the south transept there is a round tower, 100 feet in height. The most noticeable feature of the interior is the beautiful groined vault under the central tower. There are also remains of several 13th-century abbevs. The Roman Catholic church is a fine building, consecrated in 1857. The castle, which stands on a rocky summit overlooking the Nore, was originally built by Strongbow, and rebuilt by his son-in-law, William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, at the close of the 12th century. Three round towers and two walls belonging to the original structure remain. The castle was eventually purchased by the Butlers, and now belongs to the Marquis of Ormonde. At the Grammar School Swift, Congreve, and Berkeley were educated. In a Parliament held in this town in 1367 the Statute of Kilkenny was passed, forbidding intermarriage between the English and Irish, and placing other restrictions on the intercourse between the two peoples. After forming a centre of disaffection during the rebellion in 1642, the town was besieged and captured by Cromwell (1648-50). A trade in provisions is carried on with Waterford.