A-Z Placefinder
Towns of Kilkenny
Graiguenamanagh —County Kilkenny
Graiguenamanagh (pronounced Graig-na-Manna), a picturesque town on the Carlow/Kilkenny border, is often spelt Graignamanagh. Recently the locals voted to use the gaelic form of the word without the 'ue', which was an anglicised version of the name. Graiguenamanagh means 'the Village or Valley of the monks'. The monks in question, Cistercian, arrived here in 1204 and built the longest Cistercian Church in Ireland - 212ft. An 18th century, seven-arched bridge, built by George Semple crosses the River Barrow with the splendid Brandon Hill as an imposing backdrop. White water rushes over a weir and the towpath is merry with wild flowers.
This is a popular boating centre and a base for the pleasure barges on the river Barrow. The river is navigable south to St. Mullins where it joins the tidal waters linking with the Nore River and Inistioge and leading to New Ross and the open sea. Northwards it links with the Grand Canal at Lowtown. Graiguenamanagh is also a popular angling centre.
