from the town of Ballyshannon, in the Barony of Kilbarron, County
Donegal.
The name Cill-Barrainn signifies “the Church of St. Barrfhionn.”
The fortress was built on a high and nearly insulated cliff, and from
its romantic and wild situation a tradition falsely sprang up that
it had been the stronghold of freebooters. The promontory is nearly
circular in form and rises a hundred feet above the sea, along the edge
of which a wall was built, while on the landward side a thick wall, the
whole width of the neck protected this direction from attack.
To the north of the small open courtyard thus enclosed was the keep,
and here are traces of a subterranean passage, now filled up, which was
used for “distillery purposes” in the eighteenth century.
The remains of two chambers at the cliff side seem older than the other
buildings. The sea wall is pierced by an oblong passage with a small
square mouth popularly known as “the murdering-hole.”
The castle was probably erected in the thirteenth or fourteenth
century by the O’Sgingins, who were ollaves or historians to the great
O’Donnells.
In 1391 the Four Masters tell us it was demolished by Donnell, the son
of Murtough (O’Conor of Sligo).
The last of the O’Sgingins to be chief historian to O’Donnell in the
fourteenth century had no son, and only one beautiful daughter, with
whom Cormac O’Cleary, who was on a visit to the Abbey of Assaroe, from
Galway, fell in love.
[Illustration: KILBARRON CASTLE]
O’Sgingin gave his consent to the marriage, and instead of the wedding
gift which it was usual for the bridegroom to present to his wife’s
father, O’Sgingin asked that if a son were born of the marriage he
should be brought up with a knowledge of literature and history.
Hence Kilbarron passed into the O’Cleary family, and this great race of
historians occupied it for several centuries.
It is likely Cormac O’Cleary re-edified it, but the “stone houses,” of
which the building is recorded, were erected by Diarmaid, one of the
celebrated sons of Tadhg Cam (or The Stooped) O’Cleary.
The fortunes of the Ollaves of Tirconnell began to wane with that of
their patrons, the O’Donnells, although the last O’Cleary to hold lands
was not dispossessed until 1632, yet many of their possessions were
lost to them at the flight of the Northern Earls in 1607. Most of the
estate passed to Lord Folliott and the Bishop of Raphoe.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.
Donovan, “Annals of the Four Masters.”
Allingham, “History of Ballyshannon.”
P., “Kilbarron Castle,” in _Irish Penny Journal_.
Donovan, “Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach.”
Parliamentary Gazetteer.
Proceedings of Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland.
_KILBRITTAIN CASTLE_
The castle is situated about five miles south of Bandon, at the
Kilbrittain inlet from Courtmacsherry Bay, in the County of Cork.
Smith says the castle before being rebuilt “was a stately building
environed with a large bawn, fortified with six turrets on the walls.”
Mr. Jones Stawell erected the present mansion, with which a portion
of the ancient castle is incorporated. The kitchen, servants’ hall,
and housekeeper’s room have vaulted roofs, and date from the twelfth
century or earlier. There is also a tower and adjoining wall which
belonged to the former fortress, as well as the steps leading from the
old courtyard. There are supposed to be vaults underneath the building,
which are not now accessible, as well as an underground passage leading
to the sea.
The castle is pleasantly situated on rising ground between hills. It
is usually supposed to have been erected by the Lords Courcey, who
received a grant of the lands shortly after the Anglo-Norman landing,
but in 1743 Robert Clayton, Bishop of Cork, sent copies of two
inscribed stones, found at Kilbrittain, to John, Earl of Egmont. These
stones bore the date 1035 in the Arabian characters, which seems to
indicate an earlier date of erection. He says: “The stone from which
the inscription was taken was found by Mr. Stawell in an old castle,
which he has since pulled down, called Kilbrittain, which signifies
in Irish the ‘church or cell,’ or rather the ‘burial place of the
Britains.’ Mr. Stawell says there was likewise the figure of a woman
carved in _bas-relief_ on another stone, the workmanship of which being
most curious. He neglected it, and it has since been lost.”
The manor of Kilbrittain passed into the King’s hands in 1295 upon the
death of John de Courcey, who was slain on the Island of Inchydonny by
M’Carthy. Walter de la Haye, the King’s escheator, delivered the lands
to James Keating in keeping for De Courcey’s heir.
Lord Courcey, it is said, borrowed a white weasel or ferret from
M’Carthy, and pledged his castle as surety for its safe return, but the
animal dying M’Carthy claimed Kilbrittain, and it thus passed out of De
Courcey’s hands.
In 1430 M’Carthy Reagh and James, Earl of Desmond, “The Usurper,” began
hostilities, and the castle was stormed by the Earl and given to his
brother Donough, who had assisted at its capture, but it subsequently
returned to the M’Carthys.
In 1537 Lady Eleanor M’Carthy resided in the castle after her husband’s
death. She was sister to Gerald, 9th Earl of Kildare, and, therefore,
aunt to Thomas, the “Silken Lord,” and his half brothers. After Lord
Offaly’s rebellion, and execution, and the attainting of the house of
Kildare, the young heir Gerald escaped from the Government by the aid
of his tutor Thomas Leverous, afterwards Bishop of Kildare, who wrapped
him in a blanket, and fled with him although the lad was sick with
smallpox. After a hot pursuit they reached Kilbrittain where the Lady
Eleanor took charge of her nephew. She subsequently married O’Donnell
of Ulster to gain protection for the boy, but finding her husband was
treating with the Government to betray him, she sent the future Earl to
France and returned to her son’s territory in the County Cork.
In 1572 Kilbrittain is spoken of as M’Carthy Reagh’s chief
dwelling-place, and it is mentioned that he paid a yearly rent of 67
beefs for it to the Earl of Desmond, besides rendering him military
service at times. Eighteen plough lands are mentioned as attached to it
in 1599.
During the great rebellion of 1641 it was the scene of much bloodshed,
a gallows having been erected before the castle windows “for hanging
the English.” One morning a Richard Mewdon was hanged after two days’
imprisonment, having been bound to a Mrs. Stringer with great cruelty.
The rope was then put round her neck, but M’Carthy’s mother looking out
of the window, and thinking to save her, sent a priest to know what
religion she was. She, however, boldly declared she was a Protestant.
The castle was shortly afterwards taken by the Bandonians.
Some ancient fir-trees are still to be seen called “M’Carthy’s
Bagpipes,” where the executions took place, and the ground beneath
having been cursed by one of his victims no grass will grow on it,
although there is plenty of light and air.
After the confiscation of the M’Carthy estates the castle passed to
Colonel Thomas Long, who was left at the head of affairs when Henry
Cromwell retired. At the Restoration it reverted to the Crown and James
II. bestowed it on Donough M’Carthy, Lord Cloncarty, a relative of its
former owner.
It was sold in Oueen Anne’s reign to the Hollow Sword Blades Company,
and it is now in the possession of Colonel W. St. Leger Alcock-Stawell.
To the castle belonged privileges of fairs and markets.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.
Smith, “State of the County and City of Cork”;
also Copenger, “Historical Notes in New Edition” of same.
Gibson, “History of the County and City of Cork.”
Bennett, “History of Bandon.”
Marquis of Kildare, “Earls of Kildare.”
Carew MSS.
Parliamentary Gazetteer.
_KILKEA CASTLE_
“And, oh! through many a dark campaign
They proved their prowess stern,
In Leinster’s plains and Munster’s vales,
On king, and chief, and kern.
But noble was the cheer within
The halls so rudely won,
And generous was the steel-gloved hand
That had such slaughter done.
How gay their laugh, how proud their mien,
You’d ask no herald’s sign--
Amid a thousand you had known,
The princely Geraldine.”
This castle was built by Hugh de Lacy, Chief Governor of Ireland,
for Walter de Riddlesford, Baron of Bray, who had been granted the
surrounding district of Omurethi by Strongbow. De Riddlesford’s
granddaughter, Emelina inherited the manors of Kilkea and Castledermot
through her mother, and she, marrying Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Baron of
Offaly, the property passed to the Geraldines who still possess Kilkea
Castle, which is one of the seats of the Duke of Leinster, where some
of the family at present reside.
Kilkea signifies the Church of St. Kay, or Caoide, and the barony
derives its name from the churchyard situated a few perches north-west
of the castle.
The fortress is built on the banks of the River Greese, a tributary of
the Barrow, about five miles south-east of Athy. Its position was a
particularly exposed one, being
[Illustration: KILKEA CASTLE.]
situated in the Marshes which lay between the English pale and the
territories of the native Irish. During the centuries since its
erection it has undergone many alterations and enlargements down to its
final restoration in 1849.
In 1356 Maurice, 4th Earl of Kildare, was commanded by the king
to “strengthen and maintain his castles of Kilkea, Rathmore, and
Ballymore, under pain of forfeiting the same.” In 1426 the castle was
enlarged by John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare. Again, about the year
1573, Gerald, the 11th Earl, repaired Kilkea after he was restored to
the title and estates of which his half-brother, the “Silken Thomas,”
had been dispossessed. Three sculptured stones are still in existence
belonging to a chimney-piece placed in the dining-hall by this Earl,
and have, after various vicissitudes, been replaced in somewhat their
original positions.
This Earl was called the “Wizard Earl,” and the haunted room of the
castle (which also contains a carved stone) is said to have been the
place where he practised the Black Art. A legend regarding him runs
thus:--His wife, not liking that he should have any secrets from her,
begged him to let her be witness to some of his transformations and
sorcery. At length he consented to give her three trials, but warned
her that any sign of fear on her part would be fatal to him. First, the
river Greese rose and flowed through the castle; secondly, an animal,
half fish, half serpent, crept out of the water and twined round the
lady’s feet; and thirdly, a ghost flitted to and fro, but all these
failed to frighten the Countess. Then the Earl was transformed into a
little black bird, which lit on her shoulder; but the devil, in the
form of a cat, springing at it, she stretched forth her hand with a cry
to protect her lord. Hence he and all his knights were spirited away
to the Rath of Mullaghmast, where they sleep by their horses’ sides,
fully clad in armour, and from thence they ride to Kilkea Castle every
seven years. The Earl’s steed is shod with silver shoes, and as soon as
they are worn out the spell will be broken, and he will return again
to Kilkea, when, after about half a century, he will drive the ancient
enemies of Ireland out of the country.
A lady writing of the castle in 1817, mentions the grand staircase
being of massy oak, and amongst other things speaks of the ancient
kitchen containing seven ovens. The building seems to have been
somewhat dilapidated when the 3rd Duke of Leinster began to restore
it (1849). Nearly all the battlements were thrown down, and its last
tenant had made matters worse in searching for treasure. This same man,
writing to the Duke in 1839, speaks of a carved oak ceiling in what had
once been the castle chapel. This is said to have been on the north
side.
During restoration a few quaint-shaped bottles containing liquid were
found in a recess, and previously it is stated that an old gentleman
sitting at a table, had been discovered built up in some part of the
walls, but that he fell to dust at once when air was admitted.
Two underground passages are believed to connect the castle with the
churchyard on the one hand, and a pagan tumulus or burial moat on the
other.
The grooves of the portcullis by which the main entrance was protected
are to be seen at the hall-door, and also the square holes for fixing
beams of timber, which added to the security. The hall had a stone
vaulted ceiling at the time of restoration, which was removed to give
greater height. A new storey was also added to the building at this
time.
The “Evil Eye Stone” is carved with a group of grotesque figures, and
is situated 17 feet above the ground, in the quoin of the “Guard Room,”
near the entrance-gate of the ancient bawn of the castle.
Maurice FitzGerald, 3rd Baron of Offaly, seems to have parted
temporarily with his interest in Kilkea to Christiana de Marisco,
a niece of his wife’s, through whom a royal claim on the manor was
established. In 1317 it appears to have been in possession of the Wogan
family. Sir Thomas de Rokeby, Lord Justice of Ireland, died in the
castle in 1356.
In 1414, the O’Mores and O’Dempseys, having invaded the pale, Thomas
Cranly, Archbishop of Dublin, and Lord Deputy, accompanied the Royal
troops as far as Castledermot, where he and his clergy remained praying
for the success of the arms. The opposing forces met at Kilkea, where a
battle was fought, in which the Irish were defeated. A great many human
bones having been found in a field south of the castle, it is likely to
have been the scene of this conflict.
John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare, nicknamed “Shaun Cam,” or
Hump-back John, again defeated the native Irish at Kilkea in 1421.
It was here, too, that the “Great Earl,” Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl
of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland, got his death wound. In August,
1513, he started on an expedition against a castle belonging to the
O’Carrolls, and now known as Leap Castle, in the King’s County. While
the Earl was watering his horse at the River Greese, near Kilkea,
attended by the Mayor of Dublin and a splendid retinue, he received
a wound from one of the O’Mores of Leix, which in a few days proved
fatal. He was moved by gentle stages to Kildare, where he died. He was
thirty-three years Chief Governor of Ireland.
During the rebellion of the “Silken Thomas,” 10th Earl of Kildare, in
1535, Kilkea seems at first to have formed one of the headquarters of
his native sympathisers. The surrounding country having, however, been
laid waste by the Earl of Ossory, we read that he made an appointment
with Sir William Skeffington, the Lord Deputy, to meet him at Kilkea.
He waited with his army for three days, but the Lord Deputy being ill,
he did not arrive.
In 1537 the King appointed Lord (James) Butler to be Constable of the
Castles of Catherlagh (Carlow) and Kilkea. Some years later a Walter
Peppard, one of the gentlemen ushers of the King’s chamber, seems to
have been in possession of the castle.
The 11th Earl lived largely at Kilkea after the restoration of his
title and lands. In 1575, when apprehended on suspicion of treason, one
of the charges was that he had interviewed and entertained rebels at
Kilkea.
Elizabeth, widow of the 14th Earl of Kildare, was granted the Manors
of Kilkea and Graney by the King, as she had no jointure. She was a
daughter of Lord Delvin, and had married the Earl by dispensation of
the Pope, she being a Roman Catholic. In 1618 she wrote a most touching
letter from Kilkea to the Privy Council, beseeching them to allow her
the guardianship of her little son Gerald, the 15th Earl--then just
over six years old--until he should be older and stronger, urging that
he was “the only son of his father.” The infant Earl died some two
years later at Maynooth, being succeeded by his cousin George, known as
the “Fairy Earl.”
In 1634 the Countess gave Kilkea to the Jesuits, who retained
possession of the castle until 1646, in which year the Superior of the
Order entertained the Pope’s Nuncio sumptuously at the castle.
During the civil war, which began in 1641, Kilkea was taken and
re-taken several times; but on the restoration of peace, both the 16th
and 17th Earls seem chiefly to have resided there.
In 1668 it was leased to Lord Brabazon, and afterwards, for nearly two
centuries, the castle was inhabited by strangers, to whom it was let at
different times.
In 1797 it passed into the hands of Thomas Reynolds, the ’98 informer
through the influence of Lord Edward FitzGerald. He somewhat repaired
and furnished the castle. His son gives a graphic description of the
wanton destruction of property by the soldiers sent from Dublin
to arrest his father. It appears they tore up floors and down
wainscotting, in a search for Lord Edward, who it was thought was
hidden in the castle.
Shortly after this it became a regular garrison and a refuge for the
Loyalists. It was attacked by the insurgents without success.
The castle was leased once more, in 1799, before the family again took
possession of their ancient home.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.
Lord Walter FitzGerald, “Kilkea Castle”
(_Kildare Archæological Society’s Journal_).
Marquis of Kildare, “The Earls of Kildare.”
State Papers.
_KILKENNY CASTLE_
There seems to be a difference of opinion regarding the derivation of
this name. The most popular belief is that it signifies the Church of
St. Canice or Kenny. Again it is put forward that a settlement of the
Gaels having been along the banks of the Nore, the high ground towards
the present castle was wooded, and so called Coil or Kyleken-uï, “the
wooded head” or “hill near the river,” and so it became Cillcannegh or
Kilkenny.
The city is situated seventy-two miles south-west of Dublin, in the
county of the same designation.
The fortress is said to occupy the site of the ancient Irish castellum
of the kings of Ossory. It is built on high ground above the town, and
the present entrance is through a handsome gate-house of Caen stone
which was brought up the River Nore in boats. The 2nd Duke of Ormond,
who succeeded in 1688, spent £1,500 on its erection, but the carving
has only been completed in later years. A massive wooden door gives
admittance from the Parade.
The castle seems formerly to have been a quadrangular building flanked
by towers, having its entrance on the south side opposite the present
gate-house. The building now forms three sides of a square, but in
1861 the foundations of the south curtain and the two bastions which
protected the entrance were uncovered during alterations.
Thus up to the beginning of the eighteenth century the castle
practically had its back to the town, and it is therefore
[Illustration: KILKENNY CASTLE.]
likely that the architects of the Norman stronghold followed the ground
plan of the old Irish fort, where King Donnchadh held his court during
the greater part of the tenth century, and which existed long before
the English town was built.
In the northern side of the building is situated the hall, billiard
room, ante-room, library, and drawing-room. The west wing is occupied
by the private rooms of the family, while the picture gallery forms the
eastern block. This wing was added by the 2nd Duke of Ormond. It is 120
feet long by 30 broad, and contains some valuable portraits by Vandyck,
Holbein, Lely, Kneller, &c.
The dining-room is part of the original building, and its walls measure
some 15 feet in thickness.
The tapestry in the castle is very handsome. Some of it is supposed to
have been manufactured in Kilkenny, where Piers, Earl of Ormond, and
his wife, Margaret FitzGerald, started a tapestry industry, some of the
records of which are still preserved. A set of panels representing the
“History of Deceus” is the most valuable tapestry in the castle.
Of the three towers, that on the south being the largest is called “The
Tower.” The small turret in the north-west angle is part of the oldest
masonry in the castle, and is supposed to belong to the twelfth-century
fortress.
The Evidence Chamber contains an immense number of valuable historic
documents and family records, among which are some deeds executed by
Strongbow.
The first Norman fortress is supposed to have been erected by Richard,
Earl of Pembroke, better known as Strongbow, shortly after his arrival
in Ireland. In 1173 Donald O’Brien, King of Thomond, descended and
seized the castle, its garrison of Flemings retreating to Waterford.
They returned when the Irish had withdrawn and occupied what remained
of the stronghold until William, Earl Marshal, arrived with Isabel, his
bride, in 1191. She was the daughter and heiress of Eva and Strongbow,
and had been brought up at the English Court. They were married in
1189, and he began to rebuild the Castle of Kilkenny in 1192. Thomas,
10th Earl of Ormond and favourite of Queen Elizabeth, repaired
the castle. James, the 1st Duke of Ormond, remodelled the whole
building after his return from exile with Charles II., in a style of
architecture then common in France and Holland. Dr. Molyneux, writing
in 1709, says: “There is not one handsome or noble apartment. The Rooms
are Darke, and the stairs mighty ugly.”
It is at present in castellated Tudor style. In 1826 the change of
architecture was entrusted to Mr. William Robertson, and during
the minority of the present Marquess his mother carried out many
improvements.
A passage is reported to exist from the castle to Dunmore cave.
In Earl Mareschal’s charter he granted the tenth part of the provisions
in the castle to the Brotherhood of St. John. They were also to
officiate in the castle chapel while the Earl was absent, but when at
home his chaplain took their place.
The stronghold was inherited in succession by the Earl’s five sons,
who all died without heirs, and Kilkenny passed to his third daughter
Isabel, who married Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Clare, Hertford and
Gloucester, and in 1290 we find him surrendering Kilkenny Castle to the
King to hold at his pleasure.
In 1334 the 9th Earl of Clare died without issue, and was succeeded by
his sister Eleanor de Clare, whose husband became Earl of Gloucester
through her right. His grandson Spencer, Lord of Glamorgan and
Kilkenny, sold the castle in 1391 to James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond.
Theobald Walter had been made Chief Butler of Ireland by Henry II.,
which appointment granted him a tun of wine out of every nine brought
to Ireland, and this privilege remained in the family until 1810, when
the Government purchased it from Walter, the 1st Marquess of Ormond.
The gilt key which was worn at the girdle when the Butlers attended the
King is still preserved at the castle.
A few years after the fortress had changed hands, King Richard II.
spent a fortnight at Kilkenny as the guest of the Earl of Ormond.
The Carew MSS. inform us that the Earl of Ormond made Kilkenny Castle
his chief residence in 1596.
The 1st Duke of Ormond was born in 1610, and is generally known as the
“Great Duke.” He was for many years Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
In 1642 the castle was taken by the “Council of Confederate Catholics,”
and was held by them for some years.
Oliver Cromwell besieged both town and castle in March, 1650. On the
23rd he opened fire on the castle, and two days following a breach was
made at noon, but the garrison twice beat off the besiegers and quickly
repaired the damage.
Cromwell’s time being short for the work before him, he was about to
retire when the mayor and the townspeople offered to give up the town,
and he was shortly reinforced by Ireton.
Sir Walter Butler had received instructions from Lord Castlehaven to
surrender, in case no help arrived before a given time, so considering
the weakness of his garrison he made terms with the Parliamentarians
which were of an honourable nature. As the garrison marched out
Cromwell complimented them on their gallantry, saying he had lost more
men in the storming of Kilkenny than in the taking of Drogheda.
The estate was restored to the Duke upon the Restoration. The Count de
Lauzun had been commander for James II. at Kilkenny, and the castle
had been carefully preserved by him.