Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh)

Ireland's finest medieval city, with a great castle, narrow lanes and a rich craft tradition.

Kilkenny (Cill Chainnigh, 'the church of St Cainnech') is often called Ireland's medieval capital. The city grew around the monastery of St Canice and a mighty Norman castle above the River Nore, and it preserves a wonderful medieval streetscape of narrow lanes and stone buildings.

In 1366, the Statutes of Kilkenny were passed here, laws that tried, and largely failed, to keep the English settlers apart from the Irish and their language.

At a glance

• Cill Chainnigh means 'the church of St Cainnech (Canice)'.
• Often called Ireland's medieval capital, with a great Norman castle.
• Where the Statutes of Kilkenny were passed in 1366.

In County Kilkenny

Kilkenny is in County Kilkenny, Cill Chainnigh in Irish, which means “church of St Cainnech (Canice)”.

More in Kilkenny

• The River Nore (An Fheoir): One of the Three Sisters, flowing through the medieval city of Kilkenny.
• Kilkenny Castle (Caisleán Chill Chainnigh): A commanding riverside castle, seat of the Butler dynasty for 600 years.

Other places of this kind

• The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
• Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú): A prehistoric monument in County Meath, older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.
• The Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir): Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO site wrapped in the legend of Finn McCool.
• Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch): A beautiful glacial valley of two lakes, home to one of Ireland's most important early monastic settlements.
• The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig): A dramatic outcrop crowned with medieval buildings, once the seat of the kings of Munster.
• Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis): A great early monastery on the banks of the Shannon, once a renowned centre of learning.

The Irish name

The Irish form of Kilkenny is Cill Chainnigh. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.