Kilkenny Towns & Villages

Explore the towns and villages of Kilkenny and you'll find quaint old world shops and pubs, historic monuments and architecture and you'll meet some of the most welcoming people in Ireland.

	Callan Callan, in the centre of a fertile plain, is an ancient market town, founded by William the Marshal in 1217. The name derives from Niall Caille, High King. He drowned in the King's River during a battle with the Danes in 844. More details +
	Castlecomer Castlecomer is a colliery or mining town, with a history that places it at the centre of the Leinster Coalfield. The same forces that created the largest coal seams in Ireland also played a part in the creation – in geological time – of rare and important fossils. More details +
	Gowran Gowran, the seat of the kings of Ossory, is now a village with a fine racecourse - a natural transition, one might argue, given that horse racing is the ‘Sports of Kings’. As early as the 13th century the lands were acquired by the Anglo-Norman Theobald Fitzwalter, ancestor of the Butlers. More details +
	Graiguenamanagh Graiguenamanagh is a popular boating centre and a base for the pleasure barges on the river Barrow. The river is navigable south to St. Mullins where it joins the tidal waters linking with the Nore River and Inistioge, and leading to New Ross and the open sea. Northwards it links with the Grand Canal at Lowtown. More details +
	Inistioge Inistioge is a charming village with a tree-lined square, lying in a pretty part of the Nore Valley where the river winds between wooded blanketed hills. More details +
	Kilkenny City Long renowned as Ireland’s Medieval Capital, the city’s origins date back more than 1,500 years ago. Kilkenny, from the Gaelic Cill Ceannaigh, derives its name from a 6th century monk called Saint Canice. More details +
	Thomastown The main street of Thomastown is brightly coloured and pretty, with shops and pubs hung with flower baskets. At the top of the town is the Water Garden, a walk between herbaceous borders, water plants and tinkling fountains. More details +