People have lived in or around Kilmallock for approximately 5,000 years. In 1986, two Neolithic houses were discovered in Tankardstown South that have been carbon dated to this period. The festival of Samhain was celebrated on the hill on Knocksouna.

The town of Kilmallock has its roots in the 13th century when the Normans came to the area and built a castle there in 1206. It soon rose to become the third most important town in the country. The Earls of Desmond, the Fitzgeralds, began using the town as their base and stronghold, contributing to its importance.

The Confederates took control of the town in 1642 under the leadership of Lord Mountgarret, Lord Purcell and Garret Barry but their success was short lived when the Cromwellians regained control of Kilmallock.

In 1690 the town was destroyed again during the Williamite war by the Jacobite forces under the command of Duke of Berwick. Kilmallock did not recover from this war until the beginning of the nineteenth century.

A large section of the old walls in Kilmallock remains, together with the last surviving town gate, Blossom Gate, and it is located in Emmet Street.

The name Kilmallock is derived from the local saint Mocheallóg, who built a church on the hill that, today, overlooks the town. The present day parish of Kilmallock consists of the former parishes of Tankardstown and Ballingaddy along with some parts of the parishes of Bulgadine and Uregare. A monastery near the river Lúbach replaced this church. This monastery was first mentioned in 927AD in the Annals.

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