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County Kilkenny
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| Attractions: Dunmore Cave |
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| Co. Kilkenny Cill Chainnigh Prov. Leinster Republic of Ireland |
| Major cities: Kilkenny, New Ross, Knocktopher, Inistioge, Freshford, Thomastown, Johnstown |
| Surface: 2,061 km2 Population: 80,421 |
With three navigable rivers, the Barrow, the Suir and the Nore, County Kilkenny soon attracted the attention of settlers and the remains from the early settlers and those who followed are scattered over the county. The nickname of the county, the Mediaeval County, is well deserved.
Due to the presence of the remains of human activity starting with dolmens and earth works until Georgian buildings you can travel through Irish history without leaving the county.
The town of Kilkenny, known as The Marble City because of the marble found in the area, offers some of the finest mediaeval buildings of Ireland, such as the Saint Candice Cathedral, Kilkenny Castle, with a history which dates back to the twelfth century, and the Rothe House, an impressive example of Tudor architecture.
In modern Ireland Kilkenny is known as an artistic centre and host of several festivals, among which a music festival (Carlsberg County Roots Festival) with country, blues and traditional music in the spring and a comedy festival (The Murphys Cat Laugh) in the beginning of the summer.
If you ever wanted to be supporter of a hurling team you might want to visit a game in Kilkenny. The Kilkenny players are world famous in Ireland for their game play: they do not play, they perform.