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The
town of Kilkenny grew up around a monastery founded by St Canice
in the 6th century. The settlement was the capital of Ossary a sub-kingdom
of Leinster. When the Normans arrived William Marshall built a castle
in 1192. Kilkenny grew in importance and at a time rivaled Dublin,
several Irish Parliaments were convened in the town, in 1366 the
Statutes of Kilkenny were drawn up in the town.
In 1391 the Lordship was bought
by James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, the castle remained in Butler
hands until 1935, during this time it underwent many changes, evolving
from a medieval castle to a Restoration chateau to a Victorian country
house. In the long gallery of the castle there are paintings by
Lely, Kneller, Van Dyke and some of the pre Raphaelites. The castle's
last brush with history was in 1922 when it was taken over by the
Anti-Treatyites, but they surrendered peaceably to days later.
Read about Kilkenny
Town in 1837 from Samuel Lewis' Topographical Directory of Ireland.
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