CBS Kilkenny () is an all-boys

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

school located in

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It has a strong sporting tradition in

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

, but also fields teams in many other sports. It is currently located on James's Street in

. However, construction has started on a new campus on Dunningstown Rd, Kilkenny, and the school will expand to 1000+ students and relocate there early in 2026.

History

The

Irish Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers (; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice. Their first school opened in Waterford, Ireland in 1802. At the time of its ...

came to

in 1860. Five years before this, a meeting was held between the Chairmanship of the Lord Mayor, requested by the then

Bishop of Ossory . The Bishop of Ossory () is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Provinces of Ireland, Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but i ...

. The assembly decided to raise funds to build the school and invited the Christian Brothers, led by

Edmund Ignatius Rice Edmund Ignatius Rice, Presentation Brothers, F.P.M., Congregation of Christian Brothers, C.F.C. (; 1 June 1762 – 29 August 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist who founded two religious institute, institutes of Religious brothe ...

to aid the cause. A fund of some £3,000 was collected and invested for the purpose. It was agreed that the Brothers would be sent to

and be provided with furnished accommodation free of charge. The voluntary fee for students was levied at one penny, this money would be used only in the maintenance of the school. In 1860 a site was bought and a large building erected. The main part of this development still remains in full use up to this day and functions as the entrance to the newer highly renovated parts of the school. On 26 September 1860, it opened its doors to a large number of students; 260 boys were placed on the roll that day but many had to be excluded due to lack of space. As of 2023, the school has more than 850 students enrolled.

Alumni

* James Langton (1918–1987) - hurler * John McGuinness (born 1955) - politician,

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

for Carlow-Kilkenny

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:CBS Kilkenny 1860 establishments in Ireland Secondary schools in County Kilkenny Boys' schools in the Republic of Ireland Educational institutions established in 1860 Congregation of Christian Brothers secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland