8 Socio-Economic
Assessment
8.5 County Kilkenny
The county consists
of a highly fertile central plain with uplands in the north-east,
the north-west and the south. The land is well drained by
its river network, the river
Nore bisects the county and Kilkenny city on a north/south
axis. The Rivers Barrow
and Suir are natural boundaries to the east and south of the
county respectively
and their tidal estuaries converge at the extreme south-east
of the county.
The development
of an efficient strategic transport system is essential to
the future
economic social and physical development of the county. Included
as an objective
in the Draft Kilkenny County Development Plan 2000 is the
development of the central
corridor route Waterford to Dublin to motorway dual carriageway
standard.
The population
of County Kilkenny was recorded at 75,336 persons in 1996,
an
increase of 6.3 per cent since the 1981 Census of Population.
With the exception
of Kilkenny city all towns within the county have less than
2,000 persons. Some large towns,
close to the county boundary include Waterford City, New Ross
and Carrick-on-Suir.
Population totals for each of the larger centres within the
county are given below:
Population
of County Kilkenny, 1981-1996
|
Settlement
|
County
|
Pop
1981
|
Pop
1986
|
Pop
1991
|
Pop
1996
|
%
change 1981-1986
|
%
change 1986-1991
|
%
change 1991-1996
|
%
change 1981-1996
|
|
County |
Kilkenny
|
70,806
|
73,186
|
73,635
|
75,336
|
3.4
|
0.06
|
2.3
|
6.3
|
|
Castlecomer-Donaguile
|
Kilkenny
|
1548
|
1490
|
1396
|
1380
|
-3.7
|
-6.3
|
-1.1
|
-10.8
|
|
Thomastown
|
Kilkenny
|
1477
|
1465
|
1487
|
1581
|
-0.8
|
1.5
|
6.3
|
7
|
|
Kilkenny
& Environs
|
Kilkenny
|
16919
|
17537
|
17669
|
18696
|
3.7
|
0.8
|
5.8
|
10.5
|
Kilkenny City
Kilkenny City
is sited on a bend in the River Nore. Commonly referred to
as the
Medieval City, Kilkenny is a designated heritage town. Buildings
constructed by
the Normans during the twelfth and thirteenth century are
evident throughout the urban area.
Almost equidistant
from Dublin and Cork, Kilkenny is well served by national
primary
routes. Kilkenny has access to the sea via Belview Port on
the Suir Estuary and via New Ross
on the Barrow River. The Eastern By Pass was designed to divert
through traffic away from the constricted town centre. Phase
1 of the by pass connecting the Callan Road to the Dublin
Road (N10) was completed during the mid 1980s. Within the
Kilkenny County Development
Plan 1994 there is an objective to complete Stage II of the
Kilkenny Eastern By Pass which
will connect the Carlow Road to the Castlecomer Road. This
objective in the process
of being realised.
The population
of Kilkenny City was 18,696 in 1996 an increase of 10.5 per
cent since 1981.
With the attraction of investment into the city, the population
is set to increase considerably
over the coming years.
Kilkenny, traditionally
home to industries such as brewing and food processing, has
now
succeeded in attracting development in the financial and IT
sectors.
Designated an
Information Age town, Kilkenny has begun to promote the information,
communications and technology concepts among the community,
business, education and
government sectors.
Thomastown
Thomastown is
situated approximately 16 kilometres south-west of Kilkenny
City and
20 miles north-west of Waterford City. The regional route
R700 linking Kilkenny to Rosslare
via New Ross and N9 the Dublin to Waterford National Primary
Route, intersect at Thomastown.
The town is also served by the Waterford - Dublin railway
route via Kilkenny.
Thomastown is
set within the Nore Valley mainly on the north bank of the
river. The Nore's
flood plain remains as grazing land on both the north-west
and the south-east of the river.
The extremes of topography to the south of the river have
precluded substantial development,
being either liable to flooding or too steep to develop. Growth
has also been restricted due to
the level of sanitary services available within the town.
The Draft Kilkenny County Development
Plan 2000 includes objectives to overcome these constraints.
Thomastown acted
as an entrpot for Kilkenny City and the rich agricultural
land of mid Kilkenny.
Goods were moved by road from Kilkenny to Thomastown and from
there by water to New Ross
and Waterford Ports. The processing of the agricultural produce
of the town's rural hinterland, in
particular milling weaving and tanning, was important to the
town's prosperity.
The population
of Thomastown increased by 7 per cent between 1981 and 1996
to 1581
persons. The development plan for the area includes a by-pass
road, which will connect
the R700 and the N9 redirecting through traffic away from
the town centre.
Castlecomer
The town of
Castlecomer is located 19km north of Kilkenny City, where
the Athy-Kilkenny
Road crosses the Dinin River Valley. The N78 National Secondary
Route links the town with
Kilkenny City and with Athy and Dublin. The town is also directly
linked with Ballyragget and
with Abbeyleix.
Following the
discovery of coal, Castlecomer was laid out in the 17th century
as a model town.
It acted as the principal market town for North Kilkenny and
as an estate village for the
Castlecomer Demesne of the coal mine owners. The loss of mining
actively has faced the town
with the challenge of establishing new sources of employment.
The population
of Castlecomer was 1,380 persons in 1996, a decrease of 11
per cent since 1981.
No population projections are stated for the town but the
Draft Kilkenny County Development
Plan 2000 recognises that ample land is available for development
within the town's
development boundary.
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