FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
This week, some interesting facts about Kilkenny. St Ledger’s Cross was the name given to the intersection of Walkin St, Parnell St, New St and Friary St. It was called after Thomas St Ledger who had built a house on the site towards the end of he 16th century. Scald Crows Cross was the original name given to the intersection of Walkin Street, the Old Callan Road and St Rioch St. It later became known as the Lighthouse Cross. Croker’s Cross was the old name given to The Parade. An ancient cross stood at the intersection of the Castle Road, Patrick St, High St and Rose Inn St.
The Parade was created by James Butler, the first Duke of Ormond (1610-1688), who demolished the east side of Castle Street (now the Castle Road) to create a space in front of the castle for military parades.
St Canice’s Cathedral was badly damaged by Cromwell’s troops in 1650. In 1672 it was repaired. One of the bishops who oversaw the restoration was one Charles Dodgson, grandfather of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson better known as Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland.
The Butts area of Kilkenny derived its name from the practice of archery. In 1517 the local council ordered young men to practice archery at the town butts. In 1567 the council ordered “all freemen, 18 years to 50 years, to keep long-bows and arrows”. The merchants of Kilkenny were very aware of their ancient warrior ancestry. They were still the swordsmen of Kilkenny, prepared to defend their property. In 1642 the corporation ordered “that every merchant and freeman shall keep in their shops a good halberd (sword) or short pike and that every merchant wear a sword in the street on pain of five shillings fine”.
The River Breagagh, which can be seen just beside the Watergate Theatre, divided Irishtown from Englishtown. The Breagagh, a tributary of the river Nore, gets its name from the Irish, meaning false, because in summer the river practically disappears from view while in winter it can cause severe flooding.
Paying tax has been problematic for people throughout all ages. In Alice Kyteler’s time there was a tax on windows that let in daylight, hence the phrase: “daylight robbery”. The blocked up windows in Kyteler’s Inn, which can still be seen, were a means of avoiding tax.
In 1700 New York with a population of 3,900 was a smaller city than Kilkenny while Philadelphia with 5,000 was marginally bigger. In 1851 Kilkenny was the most Gaelic speaking county in Leinster.
Cock fighting was very popular in Kilkenny. A corporation order of 1747 reads: “That a cock pit be built and that Ambrose Evans, Mayor, be one of the overseers.” The pit was built in St Mary’s Churchyard and another in John Street. In 1767 cock-fighting was made illegal. Bull-baiting was also a popular and legal sport in Kilkenny. A corporation committee called ‘The Grand Council of Bullring’ looked after it. The bullring itself was situated at the back of the Watergate Theatre. It was later transferred to James Green where the last bull bait was held in 1837.
The first football match under GAA rules was played at the Fair Green in Callan on February 15, 1885 between Callan and Kilkenny and ended scoreless. Football was much more popular than hurling in Kilkenny at that time. The Doyle brothers, Dick, Eddie and Mick, from Mooncoin created a hurling record that may never be beaten. They have won 18 senior All Ireland medals between them. Dick won seven, Eddie won six and Mick claimed five.
The Mayfair Ballroom, soon to be our new library, and the centre of social activity for almost 20 years, opened on Stephen’s night 1943. Music was by Mr. Kelly’s Classics while Mrs. Lawlor & Son, Naas, provided the catering. In 1964, months before his death in an air crash, Jim Reeves, the American country star, drew a record 1,700 people to the Mayfair. Other stars that appeared there included: Ray Charles, Chubby Checker, The Everly Brothers and Dusty Springfield. The late Kieran Crotty, TD, had his wedding reception there as none of the local hotels could accommodate all the guests.
