Kilkenny Cats
Encyclopedia
The term Kilkenny
cat
refers to anyone who is a tenacious fighter. The origin of the term is now lost so there are many stories purporting to give the true meaning.
To "fight like a Kilkenny cat" refers to an old story about two cats who fought to the death and ate each other up such that only their tails were left. There is also a limerick
(with optional added couplet) about the two cats:
The story has many roots. One involves soldiers based in Kilkenny City. However, who exactly these soldiers were and when they were stationed in Kilkenny
is subject to some conjecture. The Athens think they were English and some think they were Germans
under the pay of the King George III of England.
One version was told in detail in Notes & Queries
in 1864. It was said that a group of German soldiers (Hessians
) were stationed in Kilkenny, during the period of the 1798 rebellion
. To relieve the boredom in barracks, sadistic soldiers would tie two cats together by their tails, hang them over a washing line to fight and place bets on the "winning" cat. Gambling was contrary to military regulations, the story goes that the soldiers, alarmed by the impending arrival of an officer, released the cats by cutting their tails with a sword. When the officer arrived and inquired about the scene facing him, he was told that two cats had fought each other so fiercely that all that remained were the two stubs of their tails on the ground.
A different soldier-based story tells that in the mid 17th century Oliver Cromwell
's soldiers tied the tails of all the cats in Kilkenny in pairs of two and hung them over a wire. The cats then fought until they had killed each other. The final cat was then beheaded.
Another story has a thousand Kilkenny cats fighting a thousand cats from the rest of Ireland in a field outside Kilkenny City. All the cats died in battle. This may be a parable based on dissents of the period between the people of the Kilkenny area and other parts of Ireland.
After the Statutes of Kilkenny
the city was divided into two townships called Irishtown
and Englishtown, a situation that wasn’t uncommon in a country occupied for so long by the English. For religious, cultural and political reasons there were deep divisions between the two groups. This may lend itself to the story of two cats fighting. Because the rights and duties of the two townships hadn’t been made clear by statute this led to three centuries of dispute between the rival municipal bodies that ended in beggaring both of them.
According to Irish legend, the monster cat Banghaisgidheach made its home in Dunmore
caves in Kilkenny County, about 6 miles north of Kilkenny city. http://www.answers.com/topic/luchtigern
The inhabitants of County Kilkenny
are often referred to as Kilkenny Cats. The County Kilkenny hurling
and Gaelic football
team are well known as the cats and they wear black and amber colors, which are said to resemble the colours of a tom cat.
The term "Kilkenny cat" is a clear influence on the Pogues
song "Wild Cats of Kilkenny". However, the song is instrumental only, so there is no reference to the phrase in the song.
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
refers to anyone who is a tenacious fighter. The origin of the term is now lost so there are many stories purporting to give the true meaning.
To "fight like a Kilkenny cat" refers to an old story about two cats who fought to the death and ate each other up such that only their tails were left. There is also a limerick
Limerick (poetry)
A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line or meter with a strict rhyme scheme , which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century...
(with optional added couplet) about the two cats:
- There once were two cats of Kilkenny
- Each thought there was one cat too many
- So they fought and they fit
- And they scratched and they bit
- Til (excepting their nails
- And the tips of their tails)
- Instead of two cats there weren't any!
The story has many roots. One involves soldiers based in Kilkenny City. However, who exactly these soldiers were and when they were stationed in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
is subject to some conjecture. The Athens think they were English and some think they were Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
under the pay of the King George III of England.
One version was told in detail in Notes & Queries
Notes & Queries
Notes & Queries is a weekly column in The Guardian newspaper which publishes readers' questions together with answers submitted by other readers....
in 1864. It was said that a group of German soldiers (Hessians
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
) were stationed in Kilkenny, during the period of the 1798 rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. To relieve the boredom in barracks, sadistic soldiers would tie two cats together by their tails, hang them over a washing line to fight and place bets on the "winning" cat. Gambling was contrary to military regulations, the story goes that the soldiers, alarmed by the impending arrival of an officer, released the cats by cutting their tails with a sword. When the officer arrived and inquired about the scene facing him, he was told that two cats had fought each other so fiercely that all that remained were the two stubs of their tails on the ground.
A different soldier-based story tells that in the mid 17th century Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's soldiers tied the tails of all the cats in Kilkenny in pairs of two and hung them over a wire. The cats then fought until they had killed each other. The final cat was then beheaded.
Another story has a thousand Kilkenny cats fighting a thousand cats from the rest of Ireland in a field outside Kilkenny City. All the cats died in battle. This may be a parable based on dissents of the period between the people of the Kilkenny area and other parts of Ireland.
After the Statutes of Kilkenny
Statutes of Kilkenny
The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts passed at Kilkenny in 1366, aiming to curb the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland.-Background to the Statutes:...
the city was divided into two townships called Irishtown
Irishtown
Irishtown may refer to:* Irishtown, Dublin, Ireland* Irishtown Stadium* Irishtown, County Antrim, a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland* Irishtown, County Mayo, a village in County Mayo, Ireland* Irishtown, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
and Englishtown, a situation that wasn’t uncommon in a country occupied for so long by the English. For religious, cultural and political reasons there were deep divisions between the two groups. This may lend itself to the story of two cats fighting. Because the rights and duties of the two townships hadn’t been made clear by statute this led to three centuries of dispute between the rival municipal bodies that ended in beggaring both of them.
According to Irish legend, the monster cat Banghaisgidheach made its home in Dunmore
Dunmore
Dunmore is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the N83 national secondary road at its junction with the R328 and R360 regional roads.Until the early 1980s, the N83 through Dunmore was on the main road from Sligo to Galway City...
caves in Kilkenny County, about 6 miles north of Kilkenny city. http://www.answers.com/topic/luchtigern
The inhabitants of County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
are often referred to as Kilkenny Cats. The County Kilkenny hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
and Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
team are well known as the cats and they wear black and amber colors, which are said to resemble the colours of a tom cat.
The term "Kilkenny cat" is a clear influence on the Pogues
The Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
song "Wild Cats of Kilkenny". However, the song is instrumental only, so there is no reference to the phrase in the song.