The Butler family handed Kilkenny Castle over to the people of Kilkenny in 1967 – for £50!
The architect who built the White House in Washington, D.C., James Hoban, was raised on the Earl of Desart’s estate in Cuffesgrange, near Callan in Co. Kilkenny.
The "Kilkenny Cats" nickname stems from the feral felines that once inhabited the Dunmore caves in the north of the county.
Film star George Clooney’s great-great-grandfather was baptised Nicholas Clooney in Windgap church, Kilkenny, on July 23, 1829.Kilkenny Castle was founded in Medieval times, but its most significant moments have been played out during more recent history. The castle was featured in Oliver Cromwell's re-conquest of Ireland in 1650; and was besieged during the Irish Civil War in 1922.The population of County Kilkenny is 95,419 according to the 2011 census ... plus an undisclosed number of Kilkenny cats.
