Editing Kilkenny (section)

===Industry===
[[File:Kilkenny St. Canice's Cathedral Round Tower View to Kilkenny 10.jpg|thumb|View of Kilkenny from [[St. Canice's Cathedral]] to [[St Mary's Cathedral, Kilkenny|St. Mary's Cathedral]]]]
[[File:Guinness & Co. - Kilkenny Irish Red, 2019.jpg|thumb|A sign for [[Kilkenny (beer)|Kilkenny]] [[Irish red ale]] in [[Germany]]]]

The city has a history of [[brewing]] and was home to [[Smithwick's|St. Francis Abbey Brewery]] which was founded in the early 18th century by Messrs Cole and Smithwick. The Guinness Ireland Group owned this brewery since the 1960s. At the beginning of the 21st century, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan plc to form [[Diageo]], the world's largest alcoholic beverage business, and the brewery became part of Diageo Global Supply. In its final years, [[Smithwick's Ale]] formed only a small percentage of production there. Another product was [[Kilkenny (beer)|Kilkenny ale]], a close relation of Smithwick's ale. Some 80% of the beer produced at the brewery was [[Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser]], a brand not owned by Diageo, but produced under licence. [[Diageo]] announced in May 2008 the closure of St. Francis Abbey Brewery, which took place on 31 December 2013. Production was then moved to St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.diageo.com/en-row/NewsAndMedia/PressReleases/2008/Diageo+unveils+%E2%82%AC650&nbsp;m+brewing+investment+for+Ireland|title=Diageo Press Release|website=Diaego.com|access-date=23 September 2017}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

====Cooperatives====
Kilkenny is also home to the head offices of [[Glanbia]], one of the world's top dairy companies. Glanbia was formed by the [[merger]] of two dairy businesses: [[Avonmore (Cooperative)|Avonmore]] and Waterford Foods and has interests in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States and more than 30 other countries.

County Kilkenny Village Creameries amalgamated to create the [[Avonmore (Cooperative)|Avonmore]] Creameries brand in 1966. That coop became Avonmore Food plc in 1988 and joined with Waterford Food plc in 1997. It is today known as the global Food giant, Glanbia, one of the world's top nutrition companies, with revenues of over €3.5 billion and 5,815 employees.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.glanbia.com/about-us/glanbia-at-a-glance|title = Glanbia at a Glance|publisher = Glanbia Plc|access-date = 26 January 2016|archive-date = 3 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160203043014/http://www.glanbia.com/about-us/glanbia-at-a-glance|url-status = live}}</ref>

In 1966 over 30 local creameries created by local farmers joined with other small rural co-operative societies throughout County Kilkenny and some neighbouring counties, and together with [[Uniq plc|Unigate]] Limited support, formed the Avonmore Creameries Federation.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.glanbia.com/about-us/our-history|title = Glanbia – Our History|website = About Us|publisher = Glanbia Plc|access-date = 25 January 2016|archive-date = 27 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160127081842/http://www.glanbia.com/about-us/our-history|url-status = live}}</ref> According to the Glanbia Collections in Kilkenny Archives at [[St Kieran's College]], Kilkenny, the Avonmore Coop brand was created through the merger of several dozen village creameries throughout County Kilkenny.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.kilkennyarchives.ie/collections/glanbia-collection/|title = Glanbia Archives|website = Kilkenny Archives|publisher = St Kieran's College, Kilkenny|access-date = 25 January 2016|archive-date = 27 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160127094032/http://www.kilkennyarchives.ie/collections/glanbia-collection/|url-status = live}}</ref> Realising the benefits of increased scale and greater diversification in the 1960s, they saw the need for an amalgamation of many small, locally focused co-operatives across Ireland. It led to the construction of a new multi-purpose Avonmore dairy plant facility in [[Ballyragget]], [[County Kilkenny]], a plant they claimed was the biggest food processing facility in Europe at that time. Today that giant global entity is known as [[Glanbia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.glanbia.com/about-us/our-history|title = Our History|publisher = Glanbia plc|access-date = 25 January 2016|archive-date = 27 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160127081842/http://www.glanbia.com/about-us/our-history|url-status = live}}</ref> Glanbia has its origins in the Irish agricultural co-operative movement that evolved over the last century, ever since first Irish Co-operative founded by [[Horace Plunkett]] in 1889. Today [[Glanbia]] has operations in 34 countries<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.glanbia.com/our-business/our-global-footprint#/world/all|title = Glanbia – Our Global Footprint|publisher = Glanbia Plc|access-date = 26 January 2016|archive-date = 3 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160203052429/http://www.glanbia.com/our-business/our-global-footprint#/world/all|url-status = dead}}</ref> and is exporting to more than 100 countries worldwide. Glanbia is ranked by revenue (2010 figures) in the top 100 Cooperatives,<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://ica.coop/sites/default/files/attachments/Global300%20Report%202011.pdf|title = World's major Co-operatives & Mutual Businesses|website = ICA Global 300 Report 2010|publisher = Intewrnational Cooperative Alliance|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023031/http://ica.coop/sites/default/files/attachments/Global300%20Report%202011.pdf|archive-date = 2016-03-04}}</ref> No 98 in the world and No 1 in Ireland by the [[International Co-operative Alliance]],<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://ica.coop/en/media/news/top-300-co-operatives-generate-usd-2-trillion|title = Top 300 co-operatives generate USD 2 trillion|website = World Cooperative Monitor|publisher = International Co-operative Alliance|access-date = 25 January 2016|archive-date = 27 January 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160127165449/http://ica.coop/en/media/news/top-300-co-operatives-generate-usd-2-trillion|url-status = live}}</ref> the global apex organisation of co-operatives worldwide.

The Ballyhale C.D.S. (1895–1995) 100th-anniversary booklet of its foundation records that a federation of 25 Co-op Creameries originally emerged in January 1965 under the umbrella of Avonmore Creameries Ltd., that shares were taken in the new entity by the society and that in following years a Ballyragget milk processing factory was built. Ireland entered the Common Market in 1970. The first bulk milk collection took place in 1973, when the amalgamation was formalised.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

====Other====
Recent developments in Kilkenny have attracted further investment from local businesses as well as attracting new industries. Leggetsrath Business Park was opened in 2003. There are two retail warehouse parks in Kilkenny: Kilkenny Retail Park and Ormonde Retail Park. Hebron Business Park was constructed in 2002 and is a privately owned extension to the Hebron Industrial Estate, the main centre for industry in Kilkenny.