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
Film star George Clooney’s great-great-grandfather was baptised Nicholas Clooney in Windgap church, Kilkenny, on July 23, 1829.
The "Kilkenny Cats" nickname stems from the feral felines that once inhabited the Dunmore caves in the north of the county.
Iconic film producer and animation innovator Walt Disney has Kilkenny roots. His great-grandfather Arundel Elias Disney emigrated from Gowran, County Kilkenny, in the 19th century.
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.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.