Return of 'The Red Book of Ossory' opens a new chapter in Kilkenny's rich history

Susan Hood, RCB chief librarian and archivist,  hands 'The Red Book of Ossory' back into the care of the Dean of Ossory, the Very Reverend Stephen Farrell.  Picture: Dylan Vaughan

Few parts of Ireland have as rich a history as Kilkenny, and now one of its most important books is coming home.

The Red Book of Ossory — which goes on public display today in the city’s St Canice’s Cathedral for the first time in its 700-year history — is not only a window into how the area was run 700 years ago but contains one of the first recipes for making aqua vitae, better known to us as whiskey.