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Collections and Local Sources

Kilkenny City and County is blessed with a rich variety of sources detailing its long history. Below is a list of general sources covering the City and County. All are available for consultation in the Local Studies' Department.

The listings are by no means exhaustive or comprehensive. Please consult the Library catalogue for fuller listings.

Headings for the list of titles and resources are as follows:

Kilkenny City

  • BASSETT (George Henry) ‘Kilkenny : Guide & Directory’. 1884.
  • BRADLEY, JOHN, ‘Discover Kilkenny’, 2000
  • BRADLEY, JOHN ‘The Kilkenny City Charter of 1609’, 2009
  • BRADLEY, JOHN & O’DWYER, MICHAEL, ‘Kilkenny through the Centuries, Chapters in the history of an Irish City’, 2009
  • CARRIGAN (Canon William) ‘The History & Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory’ Vol.3.     1905.
  • CLARKE (Howard) ed. ‘Irish Cities’. 1995.
  • Corporation Book of the Irishtown of Kilkenny 1537-1628.
  • COSTELLO (S.), O’DWYER (M.) & WHITE (K.) ‘Kilkenny City and County : A Photographic Record’.  1995.
  • DOYLE (John) ‘An Historical Survey of St.John’s, Kilkenny : Its History, People and Antiquities’. 1990
  • EGAN (P.M.) ‘The Illustrated Guide to the City and County of Kilkenny’.   1884.
  • FARRELLY (Peter V.) ‘600 Years of Theatre in Kilkenny 1366-1966’. 1994.
  • HEALY (William) ‘History & Antiquities of Kilkenny City and County’.    1893.
  • HOGAN (John) ‘Kilkenny : The Ancient City of Ossory, The Seat of its Kings, The See of its Bishops & The Site of its Cathedral’.  1884.
  • IRISH GEORGIAN SOCIETY  ‘Georgian Kilkenny’. 1963.
  • JACKSON (Robert Wyse) ‘The Story of Kilkenny’. 1974.
  • LANIGAN (Katherine M.) & TYLER (Gerald) ‘Kilkenny : Its Architecture & History’. 1987.
  • LEDWICH (Edward) ‘The History & Antiquities of Irishtown and Kilkenny’. 1881.
  • LEONARD (John) ‘A University for Kilkenny : Plans for a Royal College in the 17th Century’.  1996.
  • McNEILL (Charles) ‘Liber Primus Kilkenniensis : The Earliest of the Books of the Corporation of Kilkenny’. 1931.
  • MURTAGH, ANN & PATTERSON, TONY, ‘Stepping into Kilkenny’s History’, 2008
  • NEELY (W.G.) ‘Kilkenny : An Urban History 1391-1843, 1989.
  • O’CARROLL (Joseph C.) ‘ Historic Kilkenny - A Guide : Kilkenny and its Glorious Past’. 1978.
  • OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS ‘Urban Archaeological Survey of County Kilkenny’. 1993.
  • SPARKS (May) & BLIGH (Eric) ‘Kilkenny : Pen & Picture Pages of its Story’

Kilkenny County

  • ANDERSON (Paris) ‘Nooks and Corners of County Kilkenny.
  • BASSETT (George Henry) ‘Kilkenny : Guide & Directory’. 1884.
  • CARRIGAN (Canon William) ‘The History & Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory’ Vols. 1, 2,3 & 4.     1905.
  • Cookery and Cures of Old Kilkenny.
  • DOYLE (J.) ‘Glimpses of Kilkenny in the 18th Century’.
  • EGAN (P.M.) ‘The Illustrated Guide to the City and County of Kilkenny’.   1884.
  • FURLONG (Nicholas) ‘Kilkenny Guide’.
  • GRAVES (James) ‘ Records of the Ancient Borough Towns of the County of Kilkenny’. KAS 1856.
  • GROSSE’S ANTIQUITIES of Kilkenny City and County.
  • GWYNN (Stephen) ‘ The Famous Cities of Ireland - Chapter 5 : Kilkenny’. 1915.
  • HAMOND (Fred) ‘Industrial Archaeological Survey of County Kilkenny’.  1989.
  • HEALY (William) ‘History & Antiquities of Kilkenny City and County’.    1893.
  • HOGAN (John) ‘Kilkenny : The Ancient City of Ossory, The Seat of its Kings, The See of its Bishops & The Site of its Cathedral’.  1884.
  • KILKENNY PEOPLE ‘A Review of the Century 1892-1992’.
  • KIRWAN, JOHN, edt. ‘Kilkenny: Studies in honour of Margaret M. Phelan’ 1997
  • LENEHEN (Jimmy) ‘Thatch Survey of County Kilkenny’.  1994
  • LESLIE (James B.) ‘Ossory Clergy and Parishes’. 1933.
  • LYNCH (Philip P.) ‘Tourist Guide to the Sli of Kilkenny’. 1992.
  • McNEILL (Charles) ‘Liber Primus Kilkenniensis - Municipal Ordinances and Statutes’. RSAI 1927.
  • MACKEY (Patrick) ‘A City and County Guide to Kilkenny’. 1981.
  • MAHER (Jim) ‘The Flying Column - West Kilkenny, 1916-1921’. 1987.
  • MASON (William Shaw) ‘Parochial Survey of Ireland’.1814.
  • MOYLAN (Seamus) ‘The Language of Kilkenny : Lexicon, Semantics & Structure’.  1996.
  • NOLAN (William) ‘Fassadinin : Land, Settlement and Society in Southeast Ireland 1600-1850’. 1979.
  • NOLAN (William) & WHELAN (Kevin) ‘Kilkenny : History and Society’. 1990.
  • O’DONOVAN (John) ‘Ordnance Survey Letters : Letters containing information relative to the Antiquities of County Kilkenny collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839’.
  • OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS ‘Urban Archaeological Survey of County Kilkenny’.1993.
  • O’KELLY (Eoghan) ‘Coir Feoire - Placenames of County Kilkenny’. 1953.
  • O’KELLY (Owen) ‘A History of County Kilkenny’. 1969.
  • ROBERTSON (James George) ‘Antiquities and Scenery of the County Kilkenny’. 1983.
  • RYALL (Tom) ‘Kilkenny : The GAA Story 1884-1984’.
  • SPARKS (May) & BLIGH (Eric) ‘Kilkenny : Pen & Picture Pages of its Story’. 1926.
  • THOMAS (Avril) ‘The Walled Towns of Ireland’  Vols.1 & 2.  1992.
  • TIGHE (William) ‘Statistical Observations relative to County Kilkenny, made in the years 1800-1801’.1802.

The Local History Collection 

This is our main collection of books covering the political, spatial and some cultural history of Kilkenny City and County.

There are 21 main subject categories,  'GRA' is Graiguenamanagh related material, these appear on the call number for items on the online catalogue

These books are located in Kilkenny Local Studies.

Kilkenny Collection 

This collection covers Kilkenny born authors, author who lived in Kilkenny or wrote about Kilkenny, personages and subjects with Kilkenny connections

Books are arranged under the first three letters of the surname of the Kilkenny-related individual, not always the author e.g. 'BER' - George Berkeley

Genealogical/Irish Interest (GEN)

This collection provides researchers with background information for research. Among the contents are Irish and British genealogical guides, Ireland-wide directories, titles of Irish interest and Irish history and family histories Titles are classified by Dewey-decimal number.

The Decade of Centenaries Programme

The Decade of Centenaries Programme commenced in 2012 and focused initially on the many significant centenaries occurring over the period 2012–2016. The Programme complemented the ongoing programme of annual State commemorations with special centenary commemorative events on the anniversaries of key historical developments. The Programme has now concluded. A number of podcasts and resources were created as part of this and can be accessed here.