[8] The town has been associated with the coal mining industry since the 17th century, and is part of a discrete area called the Castlecomer Plateau.

The earliest record of a settlement at Castlecomer is from around 1200, when the Norman knight William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke built a motte and bailey castle east of the existing bridge.

These settlers had been recruited by Christopher Wandesforde, who originated from Kirklington and had acquired Castlecomer Demesne with the cooperation of the then Lord Deputy of Ireland, Thomas Wentworth (later Earl of Strafford).

[11] According to local tradition, Wandesforde modelled the layout and architecture on an area in Italy named "Alsinore" (possibly the island of Asinara, sometimes known as Asinare or Alsinara, off Sardinia).

It was reputedly notable for its castellated, Gothic revival style, including 365 windows (i.e. one for each day of the year), large porchway and the Wandesforde coat of arms displayed prominently on the outside.

It was built to designs prepared by George Smith and is a five-arch rubble limestone Classical-style road bridge (Reg.

Marking a crossing over the Dinin (Deen) River the bridge forms an appealing landmark on the road leading into the town from the east.

[15] The JJ Kavanagh and Sons route 717 links Clonmel to Dublin Airport through Kilkenny and serves Castlecomer twice a day in each direction.

Funding for the Castlecomer line came from Captain Richard Henry (R.H.) Prior-Wandesforde and a War Office Grant, which was given to ease postwar unemployment.

Many of the concrete piers which carried the railway across the Dinin River are still in situ just south of Dysart crossing, visible from the adjacent N78 road.

[citation needed] Opened in 1999, Castlecomer Library is located on Kilkenny Street, opposite the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

The school holds four Green Flags (Litter and Waste, Energy, Water, Travel) and are working towards a fifth for Biodiversity.

[citation needed] Castlecomer Community Hall hosts a range of sport, recreation, drama and other events throughout the year.

The church, designed by William Deane Butler, Dublin, was dedicated to the honour of Our Lady under the name 'Church of the Immaculate Conception'.

Features of the church include: the matching altar, ambo and chair, the painted ceiling, the stained glass windows, the stations of the cross and an ornate sanctuary lamp.

In 1374, Alexander, Bishop of Ossory, confirmed the Church of Castlecomer to the Prior and Canons of Saint John's Abbey, Kilkenny.

[27] In the early 15th century, the Revd Walter Comys was excommunicated by the Bishop of Ossory in 1428 when he held on to the church and refused to hand it over to William Stakboll, Prior of Saint John's Abbey.

In 1540, St John's Abbey was suppressed at the English Reformation; its possessions, including the Rectory of Castlecomer, were granted to the Corporation of Kilkenny.

[29] Mineral resources include deposits of anthracite coal, shale and fireclay and have been exploited for several hundred years.

Towards the end of the Celtic Tiger era, the textile industry moved abroad and also the brick making factory ceased production.

Following the decline of coal-mining and also the large manufacturing plants, Castlecomer has seen its economic activity transition further into the services sector.

Comprising 80 acres of woodland and lakes, the park initially included the 'Footprints in Coal' exhibition, a visitor centre and design craft studios.

The original walled garden is home to a small herd of fallow and sika deer and to a flock of Jacob sheep.

Originally started in 1978, the Powley (an area in the hills surrounding Castlecomer) men decided, while playing cards, on St Stephen's Day to run off the Christmas excess by having a race over a cross country circuit, uniquely wearing a pair of wellingtons.

Race Personalities over the years have included local former Olympic boxer Mick Dowling, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Ronan Collins, Jimmy Magee, Michael Carruth, Tommy Walsh and racehorse trainer Jim Bolger.

The exhibition uses fossils, mining artefacts, models, audio-visual and life-sized reconstructions of Carboniferous plants and animals to illustrate the story.

The National Museum of Ireland and Trinity College, Dublin have some very rare amphibians from the Jarrow Colliery, and replicas can be viewed at the Castlecomer Discovery Park Exhibition.

[34] These were an exceptional assemblage of Upper Carboniferous fossil amphibians discovered in coal measures at Jarrow Colliery, Castlecomer.

Texts from Wright and Huxley include: For elections to Dáil Éireann, Castlecomer is part of the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency which returns 5 TDs.

Schools students and community groups from both towns have visited each other over the years for tourism, sport, art, culture and education trips.