The Black Abbey of Kilkenny, Ireland, is a Catholic priory of the Dominican Order, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Black Abbey was established in 1225 as one of the first houses of the Dominican Order in Ireland.

Black Abbey has had a long and interesting history, having seen many reversals of fortune under different governments.

The name Black Abbey is based on the fact that in England and other countries the Dominicans were often referred to as "Black Friars" on account of the black cappa or cloak which they wear over their white habits.

When the priory was founded the 13th century, the town of Kilkenny was divided in two parts by the Bregach River. One part was an Irish town and other was an English town. Dominicans established the priory between those two towns and outside the city walls, because they wished to show their independence from either side.

In practical terms, the site chosen for the priory presented challenges, because ever since the priory was established, right up to the present time, the buildings are subject to severe annual flooding from the river.

Cilla Black OBE (born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, 27 May 1943) is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles "Anyone Who Had A Heart", "You're My World", and "Alfie". After a successful recording career and a brief time as a comedy actress, she became the highest-paid female presenter in British television history. In May 2010, new research published by BBC Radio 2 claimed that Cilla Black's version of Anyone Who Had a Heart was the UK's biggest selling single by a female artist in the 1960s.. In 2013, Cilla Black celebrates 50 years in show business, as a prelude to this landmark anniversary EMI (the record label which launched her career in 1963) release on 23 April 2012 Completely Cilla: 1963-1973 - a 5CD set containing 139 recordings (all produced by George Martin) and a bonus DVD of rare BBC TV music performances .

Burt F. Bacharach ( /ˈbækəræk/ BAK-ə-rak; born May 12, 1928) is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick. Following on with the initial success of this collaboration, Bacharach went on to produce hits with Dusty Springfield, Bobbie Gentry, Jackie DeShannon and others.

As of 2006^[update], Bacharach had written 70 Top 40 hits in the U.S., and 52 Top 40 hits in the UK.

Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but grew up in the Forest Hills section of New York City, graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1946. He is the son of Irma (née Freeman) and Bert Bacharach, a well-known syndicated newspaper columnist, and is of German-Jewish descent. Bacharach studied music at McGill University, under Helmut Blume, at the Mannes School of Music, and at the Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California. His composition teachers included Darius Milhaud, Henry Cowell, and Bohuslav Martinů. Following service in the Army, Bacharach worked as a pianist, both as a solo player and as an accompanist for singers such as Vic Damone, Polly Bergen, Steve Lawrence, the Ames Brothers and Paula Stewart (who became his first wife). For some years he was musical arranger for Marlene Dietrich as well as touring with her.