Thomastown (Irish: Baile Mhic Andáin),[2] historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland.

It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of historical landmarks in the vicinity.

Visitor attractions include Jerpoint Abbey, Kilfane Glen gardens, and Mount Juliet Golf Course.

The town is situated at a bridging point on the River Nore 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the city of Kilkenny.

[10] FitzAnthony was granted a large area of land in the region by William Earl Marshall, son-in-law of Strongbow, and became the Seneschal (Governor) of Leinster in the 13th century.

Under a 1553 charter from Queen Mary I, the burgesses of Thomastown had the right to choose two members of Parliament, a practice they continued until the Acts of Union in 1800.

[12] Local tradition holds that the remains of Saint Nicholas, the 3rd century Anatolian bishop, lie in the vicinity of Thomastown in Jerpoint Park.

The abbey had its own gardens, watermills, cemetery, granary, and kitchens, and was home to a group of Irish-Norman Crusaders in the Middle Ages.

The legend refers to a band of Irish-Norman knights from Jerpoint, who travelled to the Holy Land to take part in the Crusades.

The landscape within the demesne of Kilfane House was developed during the 1790s by the then landowner and his wife, Sir John and Lady Power.

[16][17][18] Dysart Castle close to Thomastown is reputed to have been the birthplace of the influential Irish philosopher Bishop George Berkeley.

[19] Born in Kilmurry, Mildred Anne Butler (1858–1941) was an artist associated with the Newlyn School, she worked in watercolour and oil of landscape, genre and animal subjects.