A day of history and street theatre to mark Kilkenny's 1917 moment
Events will begin this Saturday morning and go on all day

WT Cosgrave, Jack Magennis, and Countess Markievicz at City Hall in Kilkenny
This Saturday will see a full day of events take place in Kilkenny to commemorate the election of WT Cosgrave here a century ago.
It looks set to be a fantastic occasion chock full of street theatre, history, and commemoration on the streets of the Marble City.
Proceedings will begin with the opening of an old-fashioned 1917 polling booth at City Hall, complete with re-enactors and mock ballot papers. People are welcome to come to the polling station and ‘vote’ for the candidate of their choice.
The main event gets under way at noon. A parade will depart from Kilkenny train station to Kilkenny court house, re-enacting the arrival of Countess Markevicz in the city 100 years ago.
She will be led by a colour party from the James Stephens Barracks, the St Patricks Brass and Reed Band, General Michael Collins restored ‘Slievenamon’ armoured car, and over 50 re-enactors in period costume.
At 12.30pm, the ‘candidates’ and other speakers — Cosgrave, DeValera, Markeviec and MaGennis — will address the crowd from the courthouse. This will be followed by the unveiling of a commemorative plaque, attended by members of the actual Cosgrave family.
A full evening of history, music and theatre will take place that evening.
Organisers say it’s shaping up to be a fantastic day with everybody invited to take part in the events, especially the parade at noon.
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