William
Marshall,
Lord of Leinster, gave
Kilkenny a charter as a town in 1207. By the late thirteenth century Kilkenny
was under Norman-Irish
control.
The
Statutes of Kilkenny
passed at Kilkenny in 1367, aimed to
curb the decline of the
Hiberno-Norman
Lordship of Ireland. In 1609
King James I of England granted Kilkenny
a
Royal Charter
giving it the status of a city.
Following the
Rebellion of 1641,
the
Irish Catholic Confederation,
also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny", was based in Kilkenny
and lasted until the
Cromwellian
conquest of Ireland
in 1649.
Kilkenny was a famous brewing centre from the late seventeenth century. In the
late twentieth century Kilkenny is a tourist and creative centre.
The Heritage
Council offices are located at
Church Lane. The seat of the Roman
Catholic Bishop of Ossory is at St. Mary's Cathedral and the
