Fun facts about County Kilkenny

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Irish Name: Cill Chainnigh – "cell or church of Cainnech"

Nickname: The Cats

Population: 74,000

Area: 800 square miles

Province: Leinster

County Town: Kilkenny

GAA Colors: Black and amber

Common Surnames: Murphy, Walsh, Brennan, Maher, Butler, Phelan, Grace, Fitzpatrick, Comerford and Ryan

Famous People with Kilkenny roots: White House architect James Hoban was a Kilkenny native as was the philosopher George Berkley, Jonathan Swift.

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A brief history:

Kilkenny is located in the southeast of Ireland in the province of Leinster. The county of Kilkenny has three major rivers running through it, known as the Three Sisters: the Nore, the Suir and the Barrow. In 1641 Kilkenny was actually the capital city of Ireland and remained the capital for 9 years until the Cromwell led conquest of Ireland in 1649.

Kilkenny is known as the Marble City because of its distinctive black marble. The city has a medieval feel with well maintained and preserved old buildings. Kilkenny is also home to one of Ireland's premier comedy festivals, the Kilkenny "Cat Laughs" festival.

Kilkenny is a county rich in artistic tradition. Thomastown is famed for its community of artists. Inistoige is one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland.

Key attractions:

There are lots of ancient sites well worth visiting including: the Dunmore Caves in Ballyfoyle, the ruins of the monastery in Kells, St. Canice's Cathedral and Kilkenny Castle. Kilkenny has a wealth of inscribed stones and crosses, castles, and abbeys.

For more stunning images of Kilkenny please click here.