Kilkenny County Council

Kilkenny County Council (Irish: Comhairle Contae Chill Chainnigh) is the authority responsible for local government in County Kilkenny, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 24 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach (Chairperson). The county administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Joe Crockett. The county town is Kilkenny city.

History

This structure is a modified version of the system introduced in 1898, with county boroughs renamed as cities, urban districts and municipal boroughs renamed as towns or boroughs, and rural districts abolished (everywhere except County Dublin in 1925, and in County Dublin in 1930). The distinction between urban district and "towns with town commissioners" has been abolished.

County council

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.

United Kingdom

County councils were formed in the late 19th century. In the various constituent countries of the United Kingdom councils had different powers and different memberships. Following local government reforms in the 1970s, county councils no longer exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In England they generally form the top level in a two-tier system of administration; in Wales they are unitary authorities.

England

In England county councils were introduced in 1889, and reformed in 1974. Since the mid-1990s a series of local government reorganisations has reduced the number of county councils as unitary authorities have been established in a number of areas. County councils are very large employers with a great variety of functions including education (schools and youth services), social services, highways, fire and rescue services, libraries, waste disposal, consumer services and town and country planning. Until the 1990s they also ran colleges of further education and the careers services. That decade also saw the privatisation of some traditional services, such as highway maintenance, cleaning and school meals.

County council (Norway)

A County council (Norwegian: Fylkesting) is the highest governing body of the county municipalities in Norway. The county council sets the scope of the county municipal activity. The council is led by a chairman or county mayor (fylkesordfører). Members of the council are elected for a four-year term through the general local elections. It is common for members of a county council to also hold seats in municipal councils, but very rare that they also hold legislative (Storting) or other government office, without a leave of absence.

History

The county council has its roots in the Amtsformandskabet created in 1837. Starting in 1964, members of the county councils were appointed by the municipal councils. In 1975, the first general elections were held for the county councils.

County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny (Irish: Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The county was based on the historic Gaelic kingdom of Ossory (Osraighe), which is also the basis of the Diocese of Ossory. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the county. According to the 2011 census the population of the county is 95,419.

Geography and political subdivisions

Kilkenny is the 16th largest of the traditional 32 Counties of Ireland in area and the 21st largest in terms of population. It is the third largest country in the province Leinster and seventh largest in terms of population.

Baronies

The county is subdivided into called nine baronies which are in turn divided into civil parishes and townlands. There are about 800 townlands in Kilkenny. Each barony was made up of a number of parishes or parts of parishes. Both civil parishes and baronies are now largely obsolete (except for some purposes such as legal transactions involving land) and are no longer used for local government purposes. Baronies in County Kilkenny:

Kilkenny County (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Kilkenny County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.

History

In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Kilkenny County was represented with two members.

Members of Parliament

1660–1801

Notes

References

Bibliography

County Kilkenny (UK Parliament constituency)

County Kilkenny parliamentary constituency was former UK Parliament County constituency in County Kilkenny in Ireland. The County constituency returned two Members of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1801 until 1885.

County Kilkenny constituency was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Acts of Union 1800 by Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, and remained in existence until its abolition in 1885 when it was replaced by North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny.

County Kilkenny constituency was made up of the traditional county except for the borough constituency of Kilkenny City for Kilkenny.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Kilkenny, except for the Parliamentary borough of Kilkenny City.

Members of Parliament

Elections

References

Kilkenny

Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh, meaning "church of Cainnech") is a city located in south-east part of Ireland and the county town of County Kilkenny. It is on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster. The city is administered by a Borough Council and a Mayor which is a level below that of city council in the Local government of the state although the Local Government Act 2001 allows for "the continued use of the description city". The borough has a population of 8,711, but the majority of the population lives outside the borough boundary: the 2011 Irish Census gives the total population of the Borough and Environs as 24,423.

Kilkenny is a popular tourist destination. In 2009 the City of Kilkenny celebrated its 400th year since the granting of city status in 1609. Though referred to as a city, Kilkenny City is the size of a large town, most equatable in size to the town of Navan, situated on the banks of the Boyne in county Meath. Kilkenny's heritage is evident in the city and environs including the historic buildings such as Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Cathedral and round tower, Rothe House, Shee Alms House,Black Abbey, St. Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny Town Hall, St. Francis Abbey, Grace's Castle, and St. John's Priory. Kilkenny is well known for its culture with craft and design workshops, the Watergate Theatre, public gardens and museums. Annual events include Kilkenny Arts Festival, the Cat Laughs comedy festival and music at the Rhythm and Roots festival and the Source concert. It is a popular base from which to explore the surrounding towns, villages and countryside. Controversy exists at the moment around the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme which is a road proposed to be built through the city centre.