Piltown
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Piltown (Baile an Phoill in Irish) is a small village in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It lies on the R698 regional road, which was the N24 national primary road before the locality was bypassed in 2002.
Approaching Piltown from the west (on the road from Carrick-on-Suir) the unmissable landmark of "the Tower" (or Sham Castle - see picture) forms a roundabout in the road. This monument, dedicated to the son of a local landowner, dates back to the Napoleonic era. Today its upper section serves as a water tower.
Piltown also has a unique place in English history as it was the only place on the island of Ireland to see a battle in the War of the Roses. In the Battle of Piltown (1462) the Earl of Desmond, on the side of the House of York, defeated the Butlers of Kilkenny, fighting for the House of Lancaster, resulting in more than 400 casualties for the Butlers. Local folklore claims that the battle was so violent that the local river ran red with blood, hence the names Pill River and Piltown (Baile an Phuill - Town of the blood).
Piltown is also home to Ireland's largest Agricultural College, Kildalton College, and to Ireland's longest running fair, called 'The Piltown Show', on the first Thursday of every September.
[edit] Twinning
Piltown is twinned with the village of Mellac in France.
[edit] See also
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