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Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny
Photograph: Wikimedia Commons user Tolivero · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Province of Leinster

County Kilkenny

Cill Chainnigh

“kill KHAN-ee” · church of Cainneach, from cill (church) + Cainneach

Known as The Marble County. For Kilkenny marble, a black carboniferous limestone that polishes like marble without being any. It is in the kerbstones, the shopfronts and the cathedral.

Did you know? Ireland's earliest recorded witchcraft trial condemned Alice Kyteler of Kilkenny in 1324. She escaped abroad; her maid Petronilla de Meath was burned in her place.
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Kilkenny by the numbers
Leinster province 103,685 people · 2022 census 2,073 km² · 16th of 32 by size County town Kilkenny -22% in the Famine · 202,420 people in 1841, 158,000 in 1851 (approx.) 12 baronies · 1,574 townlands 1930s folklore · the Schools' Collection ↗ 29 surnames 4 towns on the site 919 daily Irish speakers Highest point Brandon Hill, 515 m 36 senior All-Irelands 30 notable people born here 1,917 historic buildings recorded Everything on the site about Kilkenny ↓
Carlow Cavan Cork Donegal Dublin Clare Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

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The history of Kilkenny

Kilkenny is Cill Chainnigh, the church of St Canice, whose church and round tower became St Canice's Cathedral. For more than a thousand years this was the heart of Osraige, or Ossory — "the people of the deer" — a kingdom that lay between the Barrow and the Suir, belonged to Munster until the mid-9th century and to Leinster after, and served as a buffer between the two; its kings, the Mac Giolla Phádraig, held Kilkenny as their stronghold. The Diocese of Ossory, founded in 549, still keeps the kingdom's name and outline.

Ptolemy's map puts a tribe called the Usdaie in the same area, and the Iron Age hill-fort at Freestone Hill has produced Roman finds. The Cistercians came to Jerpoint around 1155–60, and Jerpoint Abbey was founded by Donal Mac Giolla Phádraig, king of Ossory, in 1158. After Strongbow's arrival in 1170, Kilkenny became part of the Norman lordship of Leinster, of which Strongbow became lord in 1171.

Drawn from the History section of the Wikipedia article on County Kilkenny ↗, rewritten here and adding nothing it does not say; licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The chronology above is this site's own; where the two differ, the article is the one to check.

The land — from Wikipedia

Kilkenny is the 16th-largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area and the 21st-largest in terms of population. It is the third-largest of Leinster's 12 counties in size, the seventh-largest in terms of population, and has a population density of 50 people per km2. Kilkenny borders five counties – Tipperary to the west, Waterford to the south, Carlow and Wexford to the east, and Laois to the north. Kilkenny city is the county's seat of local government and largest settlement, and is situated on the River Nore in the centre of the county. Kilkenny city is approximately from Waterford, from Dublin and from Cork.

Places of interest

The architecture of County Kilkenny contains features from all eras since the Stone Age including Norman and Anglo-Irish castles, Georgian urban buildings, towns and villages with unique architectures, palladian and rococo country houses, Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedrals and buildings. In the late 20th century a new economic climate resulted in a renaissance of culture and design, with some at the cutting edge of modern architecture. County Kilkenny contains varied architecture including passage graves, ringforts, Irish round towers, castles, churches and cathedrals, abbeys and priories, bridges and roads, and townhouses of varying style.

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Clans & surnames of Kilkenny
Archer Áirséir Norman · “the bowman” Aylward Aighleart Norse-English · “æthel-weard, 'noble guardian'” Boyce Ó Buadhaigh Gaelic sept & Norman · “descendant of Buadhach, ‘victorious’; or Norman ‘de Bois’, of the wood” Brennan Ó Braonáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Braonán, 'little drop / sorrow'” Broderick Ó Bruadair Gaelic sept · “descendant of Bruadar — from the Norse personal name Broddr” Brophy Ó Bróithe Gaelic sept · “descendant of Brothe” Butler de Buitléir Norman dynasty · “le botiler — the (chief) butler of Ireland” Cantwell Cantual Norman · “from Kentwell, Suffolk” Cody Mac Óda Norman · “son of Odo” Comerford Comartún Norman · “from Comberford, Staffordshire” Coogan Ó Cuagáin / Mac Cogadháin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Cuagán (Kilkenny line); or son of Cogadhán, from Cú Chogaidh, 'war-hound' (Leitrim line)” Delaney Ó Dubhshláine Gaelic sept · “descendant of Dubhshláine, 'dark one of the Slaney'” Drennan Ó Draighneáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Draighneán, ‘blackthorn’” Fennelly Ó Fionnghalaigh Gaelic sept · “descendant of Fionnghalach, 'fair-valorous'” Fitzpatrick Mac Giolla Phádraig Gaelic dynasty (Norman-styled) · “son of the devotee of Patrick” Gaffney Ó Gamhna Gaelic sept · “descendant of Gamhain, 'calf'” Gleeson Ó Glasáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Glasán — from glas, grey” Grace Grás Norman · “le gras — 'the stout'” Hackett Haicéid Norman · “son of Haket, a Norman personal name” Kealy Ó Caollaidhe Gaelic sept · “descendant of Caollaidhe” Lonergan Ó Longargáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Longargán, a diminutive of lonngarg, ‘strong-fierce’” O'Shea Ó Séaghdha Gaelic sept · “descendant of Séaghdha, 'hawk-like, stately'” Purcell Puirséil Norman · “pourcel — 'piglet' (a herdsman's name)” Sherlock Scurlóg Norman-English · “'fair-locked' — bright-haired” Shortall Seartal Norman-English · “'short neck' (a nickname)” Tobin Tóibín Norman · “de St Aubyn” Tynan Ó Teimhneáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Teimhneán, 'dark, grey'” Walsh Breathnach Norman-Welsh · “'the Welshman' — soldiers who came with the Normans” Whelan Ó Faoláin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Faolán, 'little wolf'”

Tap a name for its full page — story, homeland map and neighbours. Or see all surnames from County Kilkenny, with the other counties each name is tied to.

Towns, saints and legends of Kilkenny

Towns. Kilkenny Cill Chainnigh (27,184, 2022), Callan Callainn (2,678, 2022), Thomastown Baile Mhic Andáin (2,305, 2022), Graiguenamanagh Gráig na Manach. What every town name means →

Saints. St Fiachra (30 August), St Canice (11 October).

Legends set here. Kilkenny — the burning of Petronilla. On the atlas →

First names that belong here. Ailís, Coinneach.

Irish in Kilkenny today

At the 2022 census, 41,037 people in Kilkenny said they could speak Irish. 919 speak it every day outside school, and 2,314 weekly.

1 primary school here teaches entirely through Irish (2025/26, 432 pupils), and 1 secondary school.

CSO, Census 2022, table SAP2022T3T2CTY. Every county compared →

The top of Kilkenny

Brandon Hill (Cnoc Bhréanail), 515 metres, in the South Midlands (Brandon Hill).

Rivers and loughs: River Barrow, River Suir, River Nore.

MountainViews, via Wikipedia. Every county's highest point → · Rivers and loughs →

Kilkenny in the All-Ireland

Hurling: 36 senior titles (1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1922, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015); 29 finals lost.
Football: no senior title.

Every county's All-Ireland titles →

Born in Kilkenny

From Wikidata: people whose recorded birthplace is in the county, who have a Wikipedia article and are no longer living, with dates shown only where the article confirms them, ordered by how many languages Wikipedia covers them in. Traditional birthplaces of early saints are as Wikidata records them. Dates are left off where the sources disagree.

People in Kilkenny, census by census

Kilkenny had 202,420 people in 1841 and has 103,685 now (-49%). Its peak was 202,420 in 1841; its low point 60,463 in 1966, -70% of 1841. It has never regained the population it had before the Famine.

1821183118411851186118711881189119011911192619361946195119561961196619711979198119861991199620022006201120162022
181,946193,686202,420158,748124,515109,37999,53187,26179,15974,96270,99068,61466,71265,23564,08961,66860,46361,47369,15670,80673,18673,63575,33680,33987,55895,41999,232103,685

Census returns as tabulated in the county's Wikipedia article. All 32 counties, 1821 to today →

Hidden Kilkenny — the places the buses miss
  • Dunmore Cave
    Where the annals say Vikings massacred a thousand people in 928. Bones of women and children were found inside in 1973 — and a Viking silver hoard in 1999.
  • Kells Priory
    Three acres walled and studded with tower houses, which is why it is known locally as the Seven Castles — it looks less like a priory than a fortress. Founded about 1193, and burned three times in its first 150 years, once by Edward Bruce’s army on Palm Sunday 1316.
On the ground in Kilkenny

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Everything on the site about County Kilkenny

The county

History

Monuments and heritage

Coast and country

People and culture

Quick answers
What is the Irish name for County Kilkenny?

Cill Chainnigh. Kilkenny is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Kilkenny in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Osraige (Ossory); by 1450, Earldom of Ormond (Butler). The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Kilkenny?

Names historically associated with Kilkenny include Archer, Aylward, Boyce, Brennan, Broderick, Brophy, Butler, Cantwell, among others.

What does Cill Chainnigh mean?

Cill Chainnigh, said “kill KHAN-ee”, means church of Cainneach — from cill (church) + Cainneach. St Canice, whose cathedral and round tower still stand in the city.

What is the population of County Kilkenny?

103,685 at the 2022 census, against 202,420 in 1841, before the Famine.

What is the county town of Kilkenny?

Kilkenny. County Kilkenny covers about 2,073 km², which makes it the 16th largest of the 32 counties.

Who are famous people from County Kilkenny?

Among the best-known people born in Kilkenny are George Berkeley, James Hoban, Mabel Cahill, James Mason, John Ireland, Edmund Ignatius Rice. The full list, with their birthplaces, is on this page.

What did the Famine do to County Kilkenny?

The census counted 202,420 people in Kilkenny in 1841 and 158,000 in 1851 (the 1851 figure is approximate): a change of -22% in ten years, through death and emigration.

Sources for this page

A clean copy for school projects or the family file; collapsed sections print in full.

The chronology of who held the county is this site's own reading of the standard histories onto today's county borders, and says so where the fit is rough. Quoted passages are marked and licensed. Spotted an error? Say so — corrections are credited.

Trace your ancestors in Kilkenny

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