Kilkenny
the seat of an Irish county of that name. By land, it is midway from Cork to Dublin. Its port is Waterford on the southern coast. It is in the center of a district productive of grain and livestock. It was from an early date a place of political importance, being one of the first positions seized by the English invaders. Some towers of a castle built by Strongbow in the twelfth century are still standing. Several Irish Parliaments were called here. In 1367 the well known statute of Kilkenny was enacted. The British conquerors were determined to prevent fusion of the English and the Irish. The statute forbade a person of the English blood to learn the Irish language, to take an Irish name, or to wear Irish dress. It was made an act of treason for one of English blood to marry a person of Irish blood. There are several buildings of local note, including cathedrals, both Protestant and Catholic. The city was at one time the seat of important woolen manufactures. The present population is about 12,000. The city has frequent mention in literature and history. The natives have the usual reputation for fighting. A well known legend of the Kilkenny cats runs to the effect that
Each thought there was one cat too many;
So they quarrelled and fit.
They scratched and they bit,
Till, excepting their nails
And the tips of their tails,
Instead of two cats there weren't any!