Camden's Britannia newly translated into English, with large additions and improvements ; publish'd by Edmund Gibson ...

The County of KILKENNY.

THE County of Kilkenny is bounded on the west with the County of Tipperary, on the east with the Counties of Weisford and Caterlogh, on the south with the County of Water∣ford, on the north with the Queens-County, and on the north-west with the Upper-Ossery; well beauti∣fied on all sides with towns and castles, and more plentiful in every thing than any of the rest. Near Os∣sery are those huge copling mountains Sleiew Bloemy, which Giraldus calls Bladinae Montes, of a vast height;* 1.1 out of the bowels whereof springs the river Swire afore∣said, as also the Neor and Barrow. These descend in three several chanels, but join in one before they fall into the sea; which made the Ancients call them The three sisters.

The Neor, commonly called the Neure, in a man∣ner cuts this County in two; and when with a swift stream it has passed the Upper-Ossery (the first Baron whereof was Barnabas Fitz-Patrick,* 1.2 raised to that ho∣nour by K. Edward the 6th,) and many forts on both sides, it arrives at Kilkenny,* 1.3 or, as the word signifies, the Cell or Church of Canic, who was eminent for a pious and solitary life in this country. Thea 1.4 town is neat, fair-built, plentiful, and by much the best mid∣land town in this Island; divided into the English-town and the Irish-town. The Irish-town is, as it were, the suburbs, where stands the said Canic's Church, which hath both given name to the town, and afforded a seat for the Bishops of Ossery. The English-town is much newer, built (as I have read) by Ranulph the third Earl of Chester, wall'd on the west by Robert Talbot, a noble man, and fortified with a castle by the Butlers. When the daughters of William Ma∣reschal, Earl of Pembroke, made a partition of the lands among them, 'tis certain this fell to the share of the third sister, married to Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Glo∣cester. Lower down, upon the same river, stands a little fortified town, called in English Thomas-town,* 1.5 in Irish Bala-mac-Andan, i.e. the town of Anthony's son; both derived from the founder, Thomas Fitz-Anthony, an Englishman, who flourished in Henry the third's time, whose heirs are at this day Lords of the place. Below this, the river Callan* 1.6 runs into the Neor, upon which stands the third Burrough-town of this County, that takes the name Kallan from it; and also Inis-Teag,* 1.7 a fourth.

The family of the Butlers spreads its branches al∣most all over this Country, and has flourish'd in great honour; being for their eminent virtues dignified with the title of Earls of Ormond, Wiltshire in England, and (as it is already said) of Ossery. Besides the Earl of Ormond, Viscount Thurles and Knight of the Garter, there are of this family the Viscount Mont-Garret, the Viscount Tullo, the Barons de Dunboyn and Cahyr, with many other noble branches. The rest that are eminent in these parts are also of English ori∣ginal, the Graces, the Walshes, Levels, Foresters, Shor∣tels, Blanch-felds or Blanchevelstons, Drilands, Comer∣fords, &c.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bladin hills.
• * 1.2

  Upper-Ossery. Barons of the Up∣per-Osse∣ry.
• * 1.3

  Kilkenny.
• a 1.4

  It is now a City.
• * 1.5

  Thomas-town.
• * 1.6

  Cal••an.
• * 1.7

  Inis-Teag.