Editing Kilkenny (section)

===City status===
[[File:Kilkenny St. Mary's Church Kilkenny Room Charter of James I 1609 2017 09 11.jpg|thumb|right|Charter of King [[James I of England]] from 1609 which raised Kilkenny to a city with a mayor or mayors{{efn|name=fn1|This mayor or these mayors is/are set "to have a sword carried before him or them within the said city, and the county of the said city, at their will and pleasure, in such manner and form as is used in any other city or cities before any Mayor or Mayors within the said Kingdom of Ireland."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prim |first1=John G. A. |title=The Corporation Insignia and Olden Civic State of Kilkenny |journal=The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland |series=Fourth Series |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=1870 |pages=281–282 |jstor=25506583}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hayes-McCoy |first1=G. A. |title=The Galway Sword and Mace |journal=Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society |volume=29 |issue=1/2 |date=1960 |page=19 |jstor=25550099}}</ref>}}]] While the present-day settlement is administered as a [[municipal district (Ireland)|municipal district]], the appellation "city" is an emotive subject in Kilkenny.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/kilkenny-fears-loss-of-city-status-1.276137|title=Kilkenny fears loss of city status|last=Dooley|first=Chris|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2019-10-11|archive-date=15 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415021615/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/kilkenny-fears-loss-of-city-status-1.276137|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically, [[city status in the United Kingdom]], and before that in the [[Kingdom of Ireland]], was a ceremonial designation awarded by the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|crown]]. It carried more prestige than the alternative municipal titles "[[borough]]" or "[[town]]", but gave no additional legal powers (the qualifying factor was the presence of a [[cathedral]], resulting in some very small cities such as [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]], with a population 12,000 as of 2018 and [[St Davids]], with a population of 1,841 as of 2011). A [[City status in Ireland|city in Irish law]] has special legal meaning with corresponding powers for local government. From a local government perspective, Kilkenny has not been administered as a city since at least 1840. The present-day legal, political and administrative jurisdictions in Ireland are set out in the [[Local Government Act 2001]], as amended by the [[Local Government Reform Act 2014]].

In 2002, under the Local Government Act 2001, the former five [[county borough]]s were redesignated as cities. At the same time, the historic city status of Kilkenny was acknowledged in law. When this legislation was being debated, local [[Teachta Dála|TDs]] [[Phil Hogan]] and [[John McGuinness (politician)|John McGuinness]] successfully lobbied that Kilkenny could continue to be referred to as a "city". Accordingly, a clause was added to the 2001 bill:
{{cquote|the continued use of the description city in relation to Kilkenny, to the extent that that description was used before the establishment day.|20px|20px| [[Local Government Act 2001]]}}

It remains both common and permissible in law to describe Kilkenny as a city; section 10(6) of the 2001 Act, as amended by the 2014 Act, provides that "the continued use of the description city in relation to Kilkenny, to the extent that that description was used before 1 January 2002 and is not otherwise inconsistent with this Act".<ref>{{cite ISB|year=2014|num=1|section=12|title=[[Local Government Reform Act 2014]]|stitle=Local government areas|date=27 January 2014|access-date=11 May 2019|archive-date=26 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150726174154/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2014/en/act/pub/0001/sec0012.html}}</ref>

As of 2014, Kilkenny does not have an administration separate from the county. However, under [[Local Government Reform Act 2014]], the municipal district is distinctly acknowledged as "the Municipal District of Kilkenny City".<ref>{{cite ISB|year=2014|num=1|section=19|title=Local Government Reform Act 2014|stitle=Municipal districts|date=27 January 2014|access-date=9 April 2023}}</ref>