Our Criteria for “City” status??

It originally had to do with a Royal city charter didn’t it, but I don’t know what we do to make a town a city in this country these days. For example, as far as I’m aware Galway lost its city status in the 19th century but regained it sometime after independence, but I’m not sure how this was done.

This may be too cynical but I suspect some of it is down to party politics and the presumption that it is the government who is responsible for upgrading town to cities. If a town becomes a city then the UDC will be replaced by a corporation. As a City Councillor has a good base to become a TD then whichever government is in power will only want to upgrade a town to a city if they believe that they will hold a majority of seats in the new authority.

More to the point, in architectural terms, what is the differance between a town and a city anyway?

Call for six towns to be turned into cities
February 04 2000 : The Irish Times

According to Fine Gael’s Public Enterprise spokesman, six towns need to be redesignated as cities by 2010 and 12 provincial towns with populations of up to 10,000 to be designated large towns for proper planning and development. The towns becoming cities would have to have all the necessary infrastructure including third-level colleges and rail links. The local authorities could then decide which part of each city should be developed and how all the services would be put together in tandem.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2000/0204/hom12.htm

When I was child I remember my mum saying the reason Kilkenny was a city was because it had:
1) Two cathedrals Anglican and Catholic. Given Ireland was mainly by England for many centuries it would make sense that the Church of Ireland had to have a presense in the form of a Bishop in any city.
2)Royal Charter
3) Certain threshold in popultion

In any event since Kilkenny was once the capital of Ireland it is only fair that it should be rewarded with city status.