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The Tholsel, Kilkenny

Buildings and structures in County KilkennyBuildings and structures in Kilkenny (city)Government buildings completed in 1761Government buildings in the Republic of IrelandGuildhalls in Ireland
Tourist attractions in County KilkennyUse Hiberno-English from October 2020
The Tholsel, Kilkenny geograph.org.uk 530476
The Tholsel, Kilkenny geograph.org.uk 530476

The Tholsel on High Street, Kilkenny, Ireland was built in 1761 by Alderman William Colles as place for collecting tolls, but has also been used as a customs house, a courthouse and a guildhall. It is used today as the city hall, and this is the name by which many local people know the building. Key features of the building are the open arcade on the ground floor, which straddles the pavement; the copper-clad octagonal tower projecting from the hipped slate roof; the clock, and the tower's viewing platform. On the southern façade is a relief sculpture of the town coat of arms. The Tholsel commands a central position on High Street and contributes significantly to the street's unique character. The Tholsel's arcade is an ideal place for carol singers or buskers to perform, and is a traditional meeting point, acting as a covered piazza. It is used as a temporary exhibition space during Kilkenny's annual Arts Week and at Christmas time it traditionally houses the Christmas Crib. On 20 September 1985 the Tholsel was gutted by fire. That evening, fireman Joe Stapleton was completing his duties as the Town Sergeant when he discovered a fire on the upper floor of the building. He called the fire service, opened the main gates for the fire tenders and brought the 17th-century charters of the city to safety. It took 35 firemen and six fire engines to fight this fire, which was started by a small electrical fault.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The Tholsel, Kilkenny (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

The Tholsel, Kilkenny
High Street,

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Latitude Longitude
N 52.651944444444 ° E -7.2530555555556 °
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Tholsel (Town Hall)

High Street
R95 TC67 (Kilkenny No.1 Urban)
Ireland
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linkWikiData (Q3990555)
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The Tholsel, Kilkenny geograph.org.uk 530476
The Tholsel, Kilkenny geograph.org.uk 530476
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Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland

Confederate Ireland, also referred to as the Irish Catholic Confederation or Confederacy, was a period of Irish Catholic self-government between 1642 and 1649, during the Eleven Years' War. Formed by Catholic aristocrats, landed gentry, clergy and military leaders after the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the Confederates controlled up to two thirds of Ireland from their base in Kilkenny; hence it is sometimes called the "Confederation of Kilkenny". The Confederates included Catholics of Gaelic and Anglo-Norman descent. They wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination within the Kingdom of Ireland and greater Irish self-governance; many also wanted to roll back the plantations of Ireland. Most Confederates professed loyalty to Charles I of England in the belief they could reach a lasting settlement in return for helping defeat his opponents in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Its institutions included a legislative body known as the General Assembly, an executive or Supreme Council, and a military. It minted coins, levied taxes and set up a printing press. Confederate ambassadors were appointed and recognised in France, Spain and the Papal States, who supplied them with money and weapons. At various times, Confederate armies fought Royalists, Parliamentarians, Ulster Protestant militia and Scots Covenanters; these controlled the Pale, parts of eastern and northern Ulster, and the region around Cork. Charles authorised secret negotiations which in September 1643 resulted in a Confederate–Royalist ceasefire and led to further talks, most of which proved unsuccessful. In 1644, a Confederate military expedition landed in Scotland to help Royalists there. The Confederates continued to fight the Parliamentarians in Ireland, and decisively defeated the Covenanter army in the Battle of Benburb. In 1647, the Confederates suffered a string of defeats at Dungan's Hill, Cashel and Knockanuss. This prompted them to make an agreement with the Royalists, leading to internal divisions which hampered their ability to resist a Parliamentarian invasion. In August 1649, a large English Parliamentarian army, led by Oliver Cromwell, invaded Ireland. By May 1652 it had defeated the Confederate–Royalist alliance, although Confederate soldiers continued a guerrilla warfare campaign for a further year.