The medievel city of Kilkenny began as an ecclesiastic site in the 6^th century and has a number of beutiful churches and a roundtower. Kilkenny was chartered as a town in 1207 by the Normans and construction of the stone castle began in 1213. In 1324 Kilkenny was the site of Ireland's first witch trial. It is often referred to as the Marble City due to the limestone paving taking the appearance of marble on rainy days.

Today Kilkenny has a vibrant cultural and sporting scene. It hosts a number of festivals including the Cat Laughs comedy festival and the Kilkenomics economics festival. It is also home to Cartoon Saloon, an animation studio which has been nominated for three oscars in the Best Animated Feature category gooing up against giants such as Pixar with their movies The Book of Kells, The Song of the Sea and The Breadwinner.

Kilkenny has the most All Ireland hurling championships of any county in Ireland. Hurling is a Gaelic sport similar to field hockey but players may raise the ball from the ground and hit it through the air, it is the fastest field sport in the world.

"In 1324, Dame Alice De Kyteler and her servant Petronella were suspected of witchcraft after the death of her fourth husband. Dame Kyteler fled to England, Petronella was tortured until she confessed to being a witch and was then flogged and burned."