The greater part of Kilkenny is a continuation forming the south-eastern extremity of the Carboniferous Limestone plain of Ireland, but in the south-east this is bounded partly by the Cambro-Silurian rocks which run into the county from Wexford, and partly by a continuation of the granite mountains of Wicklow and Carlow, and it is interrupted in the north by an extensive hilly region forming part of the Castlecomer coal-field, which extends also into Queen’s county and Tipperary. The field lies in the form of a broad basin, and rests on flagstone and black shale. The coal is anthracite, and the most productive portions of the bed are in the centre of the basin at Castlecomer. Besides a large number of fossil plants, crustaceans of a rare species and also several peculiar reptilian remains have been found in the measures. The field is believed to contain nearly 80,000,000 tons of workable coal, and at present the annual yield is about 80,000 tons,—the annual yield of Ireland being only about 130,000 tons. On the granite the limestone has the form of a bedded dolomite, and this is also principally the form of the central division to the north-west of Kilkenny. In other places the limestones are bluish or black, the latter being the best quality for burning, and are often associated with shales of a considerable thickness. Cherty beds frequently occur between the limestone and the Coal-measures. Hematitic iron of a rich quality is found in the Cambro-Silurian rocks at several places. Tradition has it that silver shields were made about 850 b.c. at Argetros or Silverwood on the Nore, and at Ballygunnion there were very ancient mines associated with the lead. The shelly black marble obtained near the town of Kilkenny has gained wide fame, and is used for tombstones, chimney-pieces, and picture frames. Manganese is obtained in some of the limestone quarries, and also near the Barrow. Marl is abundant in various districts. Pipeclay and potter’s clay are found, and also yellow ochre. Copper occurs near Knocktopher.

Rivers.— The principal rivers, the Suir, the Barrow, and the Nore, have all their origin in the Slieve Bloom mountains, and after a widely divergent course southwards discharge their waters into Waterford Harbour. The Suir forms the boundary of the county with Waterford, and is navigable for sloops to Carrick. The Nore, which is navigable to Innistioge, enters the county at its northwestern boundary, and flows by Kilkenny to the Barrow, 9 miles above Ross, having received in its course the King’s river at Jerpoint and the Argula near Innistioge. The Barrow, which is navigable beyond the limits of Kilkenny into Kildare, forms the eastern boundary of the county from near New Bridge. There are no lakes of any extent, but turloughs are occasionally formed by the bursting up of underground streams.

Climate and Agriculture.— On account of the slope of the country and the nature of the soil, the surface occupied by bog or wet land is very small, and the air is dry and very salubrious. So temperate is it in winter that the myrtle and arbutus grow in the open air. There is less rain than at Dublin, and vegetation is earlier than in the adjacent counties. Along the banks of the Suir, Nore, and Barrow a very rich soil has been formed by alluvial deposits. Above the Coal-measures in the northern part of the county there is a moorish tract devoted chiefly to pasturage. The soil above the limestone is for the most part a deep and rich loam admirably adapted for the growth of wheat. The heath-covered hills afford honey with a flavour of peculiar excellence.

The following table gives a classification of holdings according to size in 1850 and in 1880, as contained in the agricultural returns :— [table]

The total area under crops in 1881 was 159,304 acres, a percentage of 31 , 4 of the whole acreage of the country. In 1880, 293,252 acres, a percentage of 57 ’ 8, were under grass,*2196 fallow, 10,799 wood, 10,746 bog, 13,515 mountain, and 21,661 water, roads, aud fences. The area under crops in 1850 was 195,923. The area under cereals declined from 112,220 acres in 1850 to 65,232 in 1881, wheat decreasing from 47,343 acres to 11,843, and oats from 52,236 to 35,878, while in other cereals, of which the chief is barley, there has been an increase from 12,641 acres to 17,511. Between 1851 and 1880 the area under grass increased by 40,530 acres. Almost nothing has been done to improve the pasturage of the hilly districts, which are still largely covered with heath. The area under meadow and clover, which includes a large portion of rich soil on the banks of the Nore and Suir, increased from 42,482 acres in 1850 to 62,079 in 1881. Green crops diminished in area from 41,189 acres in 1850 to 31,993 in 1881, potatoes from 26,321 acres to 18,269, and turnips from 11,613 to 9929. Horses since 1850 declined from 17,161 to 16,933. The number in 1881 used for agricultural purposes was 11,606. Mules since 1850 have increased from 687 to 1054, and asses from 3355 to 5345. Cattle in 1850 numbered 72,998, and in 1881 had increased to 120,594. Cows numbered 37,695, or about a third of the total number of cattle, dairy-farming being largely followed, especially in the hilly districts to the south. The most common species of cattle is a cross between the old Irish breed and the longhorn, but Kerry cows are considerably in demand for dairies. For winter-feeding pounded furze tops are frequently used, but in many cases the cattle graze outside in winter. Sheep, the breed of which has been much improved by crossing, increased from 40,450 in 1850 to 85,393 in 1881. Pigs have declined in numbers from 45,763 to 39,777, while goats have increased from 5958 to 6376, and poultry from 197,955 to 410,524.

According to the corrected summary of owners of land, 1878, the land in 1873, exclusive of the county of the city of Kilkenny, was divided among 1150 proprietors, of whom 827 possessed less than 1 acre. The annual rateable valuation is stated in the return of 1876 as £340,696, giving an average value of 13s. 9d. per acre. There were forty-seven owners who possessed upwards of 2000 acres, twelve who possessed upwards of 5000 acres, and six upwards of 10,000 acres, viz., Viscount Clifden, 35,288; Earl of Bessborough, 23,967; Charles Wandesforde, 22,232; Col. W. F. Tighe, 11,970; Marquis of Ormonde, 11,960; and Viscount Mountgarret, 11,919.

Manufactures.— The linen manufacture introduced into the county in the 17th century by the duke of Ormonde to supersede the woollen manufacture gradually became extinct, aħd the woollen manufacture now carried on is also very small. There are, however, breweries, distilleries, tanneries, aud flour-mills, as well as marble polishing works.

Railways.— The county is intersected from north to south by the Maryborough and Waterford line, which is joined near Kilkenny by the South-Eastern Railway from Carlow. The Great Southern and Western Railway skirts the south-western boundary of the county.

Administration.— The county comprises 10 baronies, 124 civil parishes and 15 parts of parishes, and 1601 town-lands. The county of the city contains one parish and four parts of parishes. There are three poor-law unions wholly within the county, viz., Castlecomer, Kilkenny, and Thomastown, and portions of five, viz., Callan, Carrick-on-Suir, New Ross, Urlingford, and Waterford. The county includes the parliamentary borough of Kilkenny, part of that of New Ross, and the township of Callan. There are in the county and city sixteen petty sessions districts. Assizes are held at Kilkenny, and quarter sessions at Kilkenny, Pilltown, Urlingford, Castlecomer, Grace’s Old Castle, Callan, and Thomastown. The county is within the Cork military district, and there are barrack stations at Kilkenny and Castlecomer. Previous to the Union Kilkenny returned sixteen members to Parliament, two representing the county. Since that period two members have been returned for the county, one for the city of Kilkenny, and one for New Ross, which, however, is situated chiefly in Wexford.

Population.— According to the census of 1659, the total population of the county was 18,427, of whom 1442 were English and 16,985 Irish. In 1760 it was estimated at 62,832. In 1821 it had increased to 158,716, and in 1841 to 202,746, butin 1851 it had diminished to 159,514, in 1871 to 109,379, and in 1881 to 99,064, of whom 48,682 were males and 50,382 females. The total number of emigrants from 1st May 1851 to 31st December 1880 was 55,402, or 44 ’ 5 per cent, of ths population in 1861. The marriage rate in 1880 to every 1000.of the population was 3‘2, the birth-rate 22‘1, and the death rate 20'0. In 1881 the Roman Catholics numbered 93,699; Protestant Episcopalians, 4963; Presbyterians, 197; Methodists, 131; and all other denominations, 74. There were resident in 1871 in the county 805 natives of England and 160 of Scotland. In 1871 the number of persons who spoke Irish only was 316, while 6424 could speak Irish and English. 44,779 could read and write, 15 369 could read but could not write, and 36,521 could neither read nor write.

History.— Kilkenny received its name from St Cannechor Canice, abbot of Aghaboe in Queen’s county, who died in 598, and w hose see was removed to Kilkenny in the beginning of the 11th century. In the time of Ptolemy the county was inhabited by the Brigantes and the Cauci. Afterwards it formed part of the kingdom of Uisrai-gagh, modernized into Ossory, which was tributary sometimes to Leinster and sometimes to Munster. In 1210 Kilkenny was formed into a county by King John. During the Revolution it was held by the Irish, and it also strongly adhered to the cause of James II. against William III.

Antiquities.— Circular groups of stones of very ancient origin are to be seen on the summits of Slieve Grian and the hill of Clogh-manta. There is a remarkable cromlech at Kilmogue and a large number of cromlechs as well as raths in various parts of the county. Besides numerous forts and mounds there are five round towers, one adjoining the cathedral of Kilkenny, and others at Tulloherin, Kilree, Fertagh, and Aghaviller respectively. The monastic remains in the city of Kilkenny are mentioned under the notice of the town. There are interesting remains of a Cistercian monastery at Jerpoint, said to have been founded by Dunnough, king of Ossory, and of another belonging to the same order at Graig, founded by the earl of Pembroke in 1212. The Dominicans had an abbey at Rosbercon founded in 1267, and another at Thomastown, of which there are still some remains. The Carmelites had a monastery at Knocktopher. There was an Augustinian monastery at Innistioge, and priories at Callan and Kells, of all of which there are still some remains. Of the old castles the most remarkable is Graney or Grandison Castle in Iverk, which is supposed to have been founded by the eighth earl of Ormonde in 1521, and of which three towers and the walls still remain. See Robertson, Antiquities and Scenery of the County of Kilkenny, 1851.

Kilkenny, the chief town of the above county, a market-town, county of a city, and parliamentary borough, is finely situated on the Nore, and on the Great Southern and Western Railway, 73 miles south-west of Dublin and 32 north of Waterford. It consists of two distinct portions, Englishtown or Kilkenny proper and Irishtown, separated from each other by a small rivulet, but although Irishtown still retains its name it is now included in the corporation of Kilkenny. The city is irregularly built, but possesses several spacious streets with many good houses, while its beautiful environs and several imposing ancient structures give it an unusually interesting and picturesque appearance. The Nore is crossed by two handsome bridges erected towards the close of last century. The old cathedral of St Canice, from whom the town takes its name, dates from 1052, and with the exception of the cathedral of St Patrick in Dublin is the largest ecclesiastical building in Ireland, having a length from east to west of 226 feet, and a breadth along the transepts from north to south of 123 feet. It occupies a commanding position on an eminence at the western extremity of Irishtown. It is a cruciform structure in the Early English style, with a low massive tower supported on clustered columns of the black marble peculiar to the district. The building was lately restored at a cost of £15,000. It contains a large number of old sepulchral monuments. On the eastern side of the north transept is the parish church, and a short distance from the south transept are the remains of a round tower, rising to the height of 100 feet. The episcopal palace near the east end of the cathedral was erected in the time of Edward III. and enlarged in 1735. Besides the old cathedral, the principal other churches are the Episcopal church of St Mary, a plain cruciform structure; that of St John, containing a portion of the old abbey of St John; and the Roman Catholic cathedral, erected in 1857 at a cost of £30,000, a cruciform structure in the late First Pointed style, with a massive central tower 186 feet in height. There are important remains of three old monasteries—the preceptory of St John’s, founded in 1211; the Dominican abbey, founded in 1225, and now used as a Roman Catholic church; and the Franciscan abbey on the banks of the Nore, founded about 1230. But, among the ancient buildings, that next in importance and interest to the cathedral is the castle, occupying a commanding position on the summit of a precipice above the river Nore. It was originally built by Strongbow, but rebuilt by William le Mareschal in 1175, and again restored in the present century, and transformed into the princely residence of the marquis of Ormonde. The grammar school or college, which was originally founded by Pierce, earl of Ormonde, and re-endowed in 1684 by the duke of Ormonde, stands on the banks of the river opposite the castle. In it Swift, Farquhar, Congreve, and Bishop Berkeley received part of their education. Adjoining the city is the Roman Catholic college of St Kyran, a Gothic building completed about 1840 at a cost of £20,000. The other principal public buildings are the new court-house, the tholsel or city court, the city and county prison, the barracks, and the county infirmary. There is still a small manufacture of coarse woollens and linens. In the neighbourhood there are large collieries, as well as quarries for marble, the manufactures connected with which are an important industry of the town. It also possesses corn-mills, breweries, and a tannery. The population of the county of the city of Kilkenny in 1851 was 19,973, of the town proper 15,808; in 1871 the numbers were 15,748 and 12,710; and in 1881 they were 14,964 and 12,182.

The town of Kilkenny proper owes its origin to an English settlement which took place in the time of Strougbow, and it received a charter from William le Mareschal, who married Strongbow’s daughter. This charter was confirmed by Edward III., and from Edward IV. Irishtown received the privilege of choosing a portrieve independent of Kilkenny. By Elizabeth the boroughs, while retaining their distinct rights, were constituted one corporation, which in 1608 was made a free borough by James I., and in the following year a free city. From James II. the citizens received a new charter, constituting the city and liberties a distinct county, to be styled the county of the city of Kilkenny, the burgesses of Irishtown continuing, however, to elect a portrieve until the passing of the Municipal Reform Act. Frequent parliaments were held at Kilkenny in the 14th century, and so late as the reign of Henry VIII. it was the occasional residence of the lord-lientenant. In 1642 it was the meeting-place of the assembly of confederate Catholics. In 1648 Cromwell in the hope, by means of a plot, of obtaining possession of the town, advanced towards it, but before his arrival the plot was discovered. In 1650 it was, however, compelled to surrender after a long and resolute defence. At a very early period Kilkenny and Irishtown returned each two members to parliament, but since the Union one member only has been returned for the city of Kilkenny.