s situated on the river Nore, nearly in the centre of the county. Its name is generally derived from Kill-kenny, "the church or cell of St Canice," though by some it is traced from the words Coil-ken-ui, "the wooded hill near the river." It consists of two separate jurisdictions, the city of Kilkenny properly so called, and the borough of Irishtown, separated from each other by the small river Bregagh. An English settlement was formed here shortly after the landing of Strongbow; a castle was also erected, and the seat of the see of Ossory removed thither. William lord marshal, who married Strongbow's daughter, granted the town a charter of incorporation, which was confirmed by Gilbert earl of Clare. Elizabeth and James I. confirmed and enlarged its privileges. Parliaments were frequently held in it; amongst others, that which passed the celebrated statute of Kilkenny, which first notices the distinction of English by blood and English by birth. During the wars of 1641, it was the place where the assembly of the confederate Catholics held their sittings; the room where they met is still shown. Cromwell afterwards took the city on terms highly honourable to its defenders, and afterwards held his high court of justice in it. The buildings in the city and borough together occupy an area of about 380 acres. On the two most elevated points of the united towns are the castle and the cathedral, the most marked and ornamental structures of both. The city is irregular, but presents a cheerful and busy aspect: the houses, built chiefly of stone, are large and respectable. The Nore, here a river of some breadth, though not navigable, is crossed by two modern bridges. The castle comprehends the remains of the ancient fortress, combined with more modern buildings. It was purchased by James, third earl of Ormond, in 1391, and has ever since been the principal residence of the head of the Butler family. In 1399, he entertained Richard II. in it for fourteen days. King William dined there after the battle of the Boyne. The buildings now form the sides of a quadrangle. Its principal apartments were the presence chamber, formed of a suite of rooms opening into one another, in the farthest of which was an elevated seat for the lord of the mansion; and the picture gallery, chiefly furnished with family portraits. Several of the rooms were hung with tapestry; but the whole is now undergoing such alterations as will materially change the state of the interior without altering the feudal character of its exterior. The court-house is a large and elegant modern building, erected on the site of Grace's old castle, where the assizes used to be held. The tholsel, or city court, is also large, but unornamented; it contains several apartments, one of which is used as a library. The market, well stocked with provisions of every kind, is held in one of the divisions of its inferior area. There are barracks both for cavalry and infantry. The theatre is small, and was for some time kept open by an amateur company, composed of the neighbouring resident gentry. The county jail is at a short distance from the city. The environs of the town are very beautiful. The Duke's Walk is carried from it upwards of a mile along the banks of the Nore. The corporation consists of a mayor and aldermen, two sheriffs, a recorder, and other subordinate officers, who have the management of an income, arising from rents, of about L1600 per annum. The cathedral of St Canice is an extensive pile, on a commanding elevation, in Irishtown. It is cruciform, surmounted by a small tower, and of greater dimensions than any similar building in Ireland, except the cathedral in Dublin. In the north transept is a chapel used as the parish church, where also is a stone seat called the chair of St Kevin. The choir and chancel are fitted up in a style of chaste simplicity. The aisle contains several sepulchral monuments; amongst them that of Pierce, eighth earl of Ormond, and Margaret Fitzgerald his wife. The burial-ground of the cathedral is entered by a flight of marble steps, and is planted with trees. The episcopal palace was originally erected in the time of Edward III., and was modernized and enlarged in 1735; it is now a commodious, though not a splendid residence. The church of St Mary is a spacious but plain structure. Several monastic institutions added much to the beauty and dignity of the city. The most ancient was the preceptory of St John, founded about 1211. The abbey church, remarkable for the singular structure of its windows, which procured it the name of "the Lantern of Kilkenny," has been converted into a parochial church under its old name. The extensive and noble ruins of the Dominican or Black Abbey, founded in 1225, have been repaired, and now form a Roman Catholic place of worship. The origin of the Franciscan Abbey is unknown. Its ruins are much admired. The grammar-school, generally called the college, is situated near the banks of the Nore. It was founded by Pierce earl of Ormond, and re-endowed by the Duke of Ormond in 1684. James II. erected it into a royal college, but on his abdication it reverted to its former state, and is now a respectable place of elementary instruction, capable of accommodating eighty resident pupils. In it Dean Swift, Congreve, Farquhar, and Bishop Berkeley, acquired the rudiments of classical literature. Kilkenny has also a seminary for the education of students intended for the Roman Catholic priesthood. A nunnery provides for the education of twelve boys and as many girls. The charter-school is adapted for seventy children. The infirmary, opened in 1767, is supported partly by grants of public money, partly by benefactions and subscriptions. The house of industry provides for the maintenance of the poor when out of employment; and an hospital for lunatics is attached to it. A neat range of buildings, called St James' Asylum, in the suburbs, was endowed in 1863, by Mr James Switzer, for the maintenance of twelve protestant and eight catholic widows. The population of the city and borough in 1821 amounted to 23,230 souls, and in 1831 to 23,741. The other towns the population of which exceeds one thousand souls each are, Callan, 6111; Thomastown, 2871; Castlecomer, 2436; Freshford, 2175; Graige, 2130; Ballyragget, 1629; Urlingford, 1335; Durrow, 1298; and Gowran, 1109.