The Butler family handed Kilkenny Castle over to the people of Kilkenny in 1967 – for £50!
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.
Nowadays, Kilkenny Castle is effectively three-sided. One of the four walls - and one of the great round drum towers - has disappeared over time.
Where did it go? Well, the Eastern wall and the North-Eastern tower were blown up during the 1650 Cromwellian siege of Ireland.
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.
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.
Collectively, Kilkenny people are known as 'The Cats', most specifically in the arena of hurling
