County Kilkenny (Irish: Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region.It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The county was based on the historic Gaelic kingdom of Ossory (Osraighe), which is also the basis of the Diocese of Ossory.t the centre of the county, Kilkenny is in a sheltered location, over 60 km inland and is surrounded by hills over 200m, which ensures that it is not a windy location. The highest wind gust of 77 knots, from a south-west direction, was recorded on 12 January 1974.