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VII. 



PRINTING IN THE CITY OF KILKENNY IN THE 



SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 



By E. R McCLINTOCK DIX. 

 Plates XII-XIII. 



Read November 10, 1913. Published January 5, 1914. 



Last year I was afforded an opportunity of submitting to the Academy a list 

 of all known books, pamphlets, etc., printed in the City of Cork in the 

 seventeenth century. Items of any printing in Ireland during that century 

 are of interest; and it is important to record and preserve them, but 

 particularly is this so of printing in our provincial towns. 



Following as a precedent the " Cork " list, I now submit to the Academy 

 a list of printing in the City of Kilkenny in the same century. 



I wish to make a few comments upon it, and also to give some other 

 information. 



In the first place, it should be pointed out that printing in Kilkenny in 

 that century arose through the political emergencies of the time, and of 

 the wars, principally between the Royalist and Parliamentary parties. When 

 the Catholic Confederation was established, they took up their headquarters 

 and held their Parliament in the City of Kilkenny, and there continued until 

 the Royalist cause was defeated. The printing in Kilkenny in the 

 seventeenth century lasted that period, and then ceased there. Accordingly this 

 printing was limited to a period of less than ten years, namely, between the 

 years 1642 and 1649, inclusive. But that period must be divided into three 

 parts, viz. — first, the printing done prior to 1646 for the Supreme Council ; 

 secondly, the Press of the Society of Jesus, which was taken over by the 

 Supreme Council ; and thirdly, the printing by William Smith, printer to the 

 Duke of Ormonde during the very brief period he governed alone in 

 Kilkenny for the King. I will deal with these three periods now more in 

 detail. 



It should be mentioned that the Confederate Catholic party first got 

 over a press from the Continent; and such press was worked for a time in 

 Waterford by Thomas Bourke, their printer. The output of that press will 



E.I. A. PKOC, VOL. XXXII., SECT. 0. [19] 



