﻿KltKBNNY. 



KILtiALOB. 



4M 



SoJr and two <$onrtj'ard«, The eutin of Balleen, Ball yrngset, Knock- 

 tophv, Oowran, CalUo, Urlingronl, and Mreral otheri belong to the 

 nma funilj. Oourtatown Cutle, the chief eeat of the Oraoei, wbb a 

 bnilding of gnat extent and iplendour ; but the ruina have uonr nearly 

 diaappeared. In the barony of Oowran are numerous costlea founded 

 by the Puroella. In Knooktopher burooy IS castles of the Walshes are 

 enomereted ; and throughout the county are the remains of various 

 other fortalices belonging to the fhuniliea of Brennan, Cantwell, Morris, 

 Curnr, Shorten, andntzgerald. 



KILKENNY, IreUod, the capital of the coun^ of Kilkenny, a 

 dty and county of a dty, a market-town, a municipal and parlia- 

 mentary boroogh, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated on 

 the rirer Nore, in 62* 87' N. hit, 7* 18' W. long., 81 mUes aS.W. from 

 Dublin by the Oreat Southern and Western railway. The population 

 of the cj^ in 1841 was 19,071 ; in 1851 it was 19,973. The county 

 of the city comprises an area of 17,012 acres, of which 921 acres are 

 in the city, and 16,091 in the rural districti or liberties. The parlia- 

 mentaiy borough, which is coextensive with the county of the city, 

 t«tams one member to the Imperial Parliament. The borough is 

 ■roTemed by 6 aldermen and 18 councillors, of whom one is mayor. 

 Kilkenny Poor-Law Union comprises 21 electoral divisions, with an 

 area of 110,913 acres, and a population in 1841 of 53,384; in 1851 

 of 46,710. 



Kilkenny, signifying the church of Kenny or Canice, takes its name 

 from the cathedral church of the diocese of Ossory, founded here 

 about the eud of the 12th century. The place was selected by the 

 early Anglo-Norman invaders for the site of a castle, which when 

 partially built was destroyed by Donald O'Brien, king of Thomond, 

 in 1193. William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, founded the present 

 castle in 1195. The castle occupies a commanding site on the right 

 bank of the Nore, which is about 40 feet high, and faced with masonry. 

 The cathedral is seated on a gentle eminence on the same side of the 

 liver, at the northern extremity of the city. The small river Bregah 

 running into the Nore about midway between these points divides 

 the city of Kilkenny proper from Irishtown, or St. Canice ; Kilkenny 

 having originally been dependant on the castle, Irishtown on the 

 cathedral. A large suburb occupies the opposite side of the river, 

 and is connected with Kilkenny proper and Irishtown by two hand- 

 some bridges. Several religious houses were founded here in the 13lh 

 and nth centuries. Kilkenny was then a place of great importance 

 as a frontier town of the Pale, and a place of assembly for councils 

 and parliaments. At the parliament held here in 1367, before Lionel 

 duke of Clarence, was passed the celebrated statute of Kilkenny, 

 by which the ancient Irish code called the Brebon Law was abolished, 

 although it continued practically in operation until the time of 

 James L The title of carl of Ormonde and the Kilkenny estate have 

 been in the family of the Butlers since 1391. The town was walled in by 

 Robert Talbot, a nephew of the Earl of Ormonde, in 1 400. Parliaments 

 and vice-roval courts continued to be held in Kilkenny until the break- 

 ing out of the rebellion of 1641, when it became the head-quarters of the 

 Roman Catholic party. On the 23rd of March 1650 the Parliamentary 

 army, commanded by Oliver Cromwell, appeared before the town, 

 which was garrisoned for the Roman Catholic party by Colonel Walter 

 Butler. Cromwell, having been thrice repulsed in his assaults on the 

 town, was about to abandon the siege when the mayor and townsmen 

 admitted his forces into Irishtown. On the 28th of March Ireton 

 came up with 1500 men, on which the garrison surrendered on 

 honourable terms, Cromwell himself complimenting them on their 

 gallantry. 



The cathedral church of St. Canice is a cruciform building sur- 

 mounted by a low tower. It extends from east to west 226 feet, and 

 from north to south 123 feet. The chapel of St. Mary, in the north 

 transept, serves as the parish church. The oldest portions of the 

 building date from the early part of the 13th century. The nave is 

 divided from the aisles by iwinted arches springing from black marble 

 columns, between which are numerous altkr-tombs. The choir, with 

 the chancel, is 77 feet in length ; it has oak fittings and a noble e-ist 

 window. Of the original castle there remain three massive towers 

 worked into large additions, in the French taste of the 17th century, 

 made by James duke of Ormonde in 1682. The building occupies 

 three sides of a quadrangle, having a garden and fountain in front, 

 and a lofty terrace towards the Nore. The principal apartment is the 

 picture gallery, 180 feet iu length, which contains numerous portraits 

 of historical interest. This apartment commands magnificent views 

 of Kilkenny and the valley of the Nore. The abbey church of 

 St. John's has been converted into a parish church, and retains a 

 good deal of the character of the original building. Black Abbey 

 has been partly restored and converted into a Roman Catholic 

 church. 



Kilkimny was first incorporated by William Marshal the elder, 

 and Irishtown by King Edward IV. Their governing charters are 

 respectively of the 3rd and the 7th James L By the provisions 

 of the Municipal Reform Act they were formed into one borough. 

 Prior to the Union of Great Britain and Irdand, Kilkenny and Irish- 

 town returned two members each to the Irish ParUameot Assizes 

 for the county and quarter and petty sessions are held in the town. 

 The city jail is a small building ; but that for the county, situated on 

 the west of the town, is spacious and well constructed. 



The tovrn b well built, and has a busy and cheerful appearance, par- 

 ticularly that portion of it which constitutes Kilkenny proper. The 

 building material is usually stone whitened or dashed with rough-cast 

 The principal buildings besides those already noticed are the two 

 parish churches, seven Roman Catholic chapels, two monasteries, a 

 presentation convent, a Presbyterian and a Methodist meeting-house, 

 the infirmary, the Fever hospital, the Union workhouse (which has 

 accommodation for ISOO inmates), and the barracks. Along the bank 

 of the river there is a fine promenade called the Mall, which is above 

 a mile in length, and has been much improved within the last few 

 years. The city is head-quarters of a military district, the station of 

 a resident magistrate, and the head-quarters of the district police. 

 There is a savings bank. Fairs, all tell free, are held on March 23th 

 for cattle, Thursday after Whitsuntide for friese, Thursday after 

 Trinity Sunday for cattle, November 10th, and on the first Thursday 

 of every month ; markets are held on Wednesday and Saturday. 



The manufacture of blankets, coarse woollens and linens, and 

 whisky has declined ; the chief industrial establishments are flour- 

 mills, breweries, and tan-yards. The provision trade is carried on 

 extensively. Coal and black marble are raised in the neighbourhood. 

 The coal is sulphurous, and bums without smoke or fiame. The 

 marble is much used for chimney-pieces and ornamental purposes; 

 the streets of Kilkenny are pave<l with it. 



The establishments for superior education are the Roman Catholic 

 college of St. Kyran in the Cork Road, which had 60 scholars in 1852, 

 and the Endowed Grammar school, which is also called the College. 

 The Grammar school was founded by Pierce Butler, carl of Ormonde 

 and Ossory, and his wife, the lady Margaret Fitzgerald, in the 16th 

 century ; it was further endowed by the duke of Ormonde in 1684. 

 The uumber of scholars in 1853 was 76. Largs schools are attached 

 to the convent ; there are also several other schools and a subscription 

 library in the town. 



KILKHAMPTON. [Cornwall.] 



KILLADYSERT, or KILDYSERT, Clare county, Ireland, a viUage 

 and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated on the right shore pf 

 the SBstuary of the Fergus, opposite the island of Innisherk, 12 miles 

 S. by W. from Ennis. The population in 1841 was 604; in 1S51 it 

 was 440, besides 522 inmates of the Union workhouse. Killodysert 

 Poor-Law Union comprises 11 electoral divisions, with an area of 

 62,317 acres, and a population of 24,018 iu 1841, and 16,807 in 1851. 

 A landing-pier and quay have been erected here by the commissioners 

 for the improvement of the Shannon. 



KILLALA, county of Mayo, IreUnd, a small market and episcopal 

 town, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated at the mouth of 

 the river Moy, on the left shore of Killala Bay, 7 miles S. by E. from 

 Ballina, iu 54° 12' N. lat, 9" 11' W. long. The population in 1851 

 was 970, besides 1079 in the workhouse. KilUU Poor-Law Union 

 contains 8 electoral divisions, with an area of 104,882 acres, and a 

 population in 1841 of 25,249 ; iu 1851 of 14,120. 



The town consists chiefly of three streets diverging from the summit 

 of a flat-topped hill, on which stands the old cathedral dedicated to 

 St. Patrick, a small plain structure, near which is an ancient round 

 tower. The other places of worahip are a large Roman Catholic 

 chapel and a small Methodist chapeL The fisheries employ many of 

 the iuhabitants. In the French invasion of Ireland iu 1798 the town 

 of Killala was held for a month by the French and the insurgents 

 who joined them. The market is held on Saturday, and fairs are held 

 on May 6th, August 17th, and November 8th. 



The bishopric of Killala was founded by St. Patrick ; it has been 

 united to the see of Achonry since 1607, and to that of Tuam since 

 1833. It lies chiefly in the county of Mayo, and portly in that of 

 Sligo, and contains 14 benefices. The chapter consists of a dean, 

 archdeacon, precentor, and five prebendaries. The old episcopal 

 palace is now occupied as a private residence. 



KILLALOE, county of Clare, Ireland, a market and episcopal 

 town, is situated on the right bank of the Shannon, which is hero 

 crossed by a bridge of 19 arches, connecting the town with Ballina on 

 the Tipperary side of the river, in 62* 48' N. lat, 8° 27' W. long., at 

 a distance of 23 miles E. from Ennis, and 12 miles N. by E. from 

 Limerick. The population in 1851 (including the suburb of Ballina, 

 in the county of Tipperary) was 2230. 



Killaloe is a place of great antiquity, and was for a long time the 

 capital of the royal O'Briens of Thomond, one of whom iu 1064 erected 

 a timber bridge hero over the Shannon. Brian Boroimho and many of 

 his ancestors and successors resided at Kincora, a mile north uf Killaloe, 

 on the south shore of Lough Derg. Tlie towu consists mainly of long 

 lines of poor houses scattered along the slopes of hills and towards 

 the new pier. It is a principal station of the Inland Steam Navigation 

 Company. The works for the improvement of the Shannon have 

 facilitated the navigation, which is now open between Limerick and 

 the northern extremity of Lough Allen, a distance of 168 miles. Of 

 this distance, 129 miles, from Killaloe to Leitrim, are navigable by 

 large steamers. The oommunication with Limerick is by packet and 

 passenger boats. Quays, docks, and warehouses have been erected at 

 killaloe. There is a considerable trafflo along this lino of navigation 

 in the conveyance of passengers and of agricultural and mineral 

 produce. The public buildings are — the Roman Catholic chaptl, the 

 barnoka, the hotel, and the cathedraL There are miurble-mills, a 



