Magnates and Merchants in Early Modern Kilkenny

In the early modern period Kilkenny was the largest inland town in Ireland, where several factors had come into play that enabled the growth of prosperity and a burgeoning economy. During that period the merchant elite of the town occupied a pivotal role in its development, and they would also achieve importance as agents and administrators to the earls of Ormond. This was in keeping with European trends, where humanist ideas were spreading ever wider among the mercantile classes. The essay...