Kilkenny is an inland county of southeast Ireland in
Leinster Province, bounded on the north by
County Laois, east by
County Carlow, southeast by
County Wexford, south by
County Waterford, and on the west by
County Tipperary. Its area is 792 square miles.
The surface of county Kilkenny is mostly flat, representing the southern end of the Irish central plain. The county touches the sea only through the estuary of the Nore River, Waterford Harbor. The tributaries of the Nore, the Kings, Suir, and Barrow, drain the county.
The county is rich in antiquities, including ruins of ancient Norman castles, and 11th-, 12th-, and 13th-century ecclesiastical remains.
Kilkenny is the county town. Thomastown and Carrick are also important.
