Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Kilkenny West Church is the fact that the father of the well known writer Oliver Goldsmith was one rector of this parish, and it is reputed that Oliver Goldsmith as a young man worshipped there. According to the popular legend Oliver Goldsmith’s career as a poet is said to have started in Kilkenny West church in County Westmeath while his father was preaching.  He noticed a rat climbing down a rope from the belfry and immediately composed the following lines:
 “A pious rat, for want of stairs came down a rope to say his prayers.”