Film star George Clooney’s great-great-grandfather was baptised Nicholas Clooney in Windgap church, Kilkenny, on July 23, 1829.
Kilkenny, an inland county, is bordered by counties Wexford, Carlow, Laois, Waterford, and Tipperary. Geologically speaking it is mostly limestone, with areas of black marble around Kilkenny city. The rivers Nore, Suir, and Barrow flow through it.
The last witch in Ireland, reputedly Dame Alice Kyteler, was born in Kilkenny in 1280. Widowed four times, she was accused of poisoning all of her husbands. Although her former home was burned down, you can now dine at Kyteler’s Inn on the site of the house
Irish legend describes Dunmore Cave, seven miles north of Kilkenny, as one of Ireland’s darkest places and the site where the monster Luchtigen 'The Lord of the Mice' was killed.In 1650 invading Cromwellian forces mounted an attack on Kilkenny castle and although it was initially successfully defended they eventually managed to take control of the city by another route.The population of County Kilkenny is 95,419 according to the 2011 census ... plus an undisclosed number of Kilkenny cats.
