Six miles (10 km) south-west of Bally-ragget, in a gap of the Slieveardagh Hills, is Freshford. A twelfth-century church was built here on the site of the original foundation by St Lachtain (died 622); though since rebuilt, a beautifully sculptured Hiberno-Romanesque doorway and porch remain.
Kilkenny was founded in the 6th century A.D. by St. Canice as a pastoral community. Many monuments and stone structures stand in testament to this fact. The name Kilkenny (Hotels, Kilkenny, Ireland) comes from the Gaelic, Cill Chainnigh, which means Church of Cainneach. During the Anglo-Norman occupation, Kilkenny city was named as the capital of Ireland, with orders of the day being carried out from Kilkenny Castle, which was constructed for William, son of Strongbow. As such, Kilkenny was host to the Irish medieval parliment.