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An Taisce
The National Trust for Ireland
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Protecting
and preserving Ireland's heritage since 1948
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Kanturk Castle, Co. Cork
Kanturk Castle, Co. Cork
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| Kanturk Castle, Co. Cork |
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Click on an image to view a larger version. |
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Title: |
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Freehold
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Date Acquired: |
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Leasehold 1951
Freehold 14th July, 2000
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From Whom Acquired: |
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The National Trust
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Designations: |
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National Monument
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Management: |
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An Taisce, Duchas and Kanturk Community Council
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Management Contacts: |
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First contact should be made to An Taisce Head Office.
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ADDRESS / GRID REFERENCE
- Located on the outskirts (1.5 kilometres) of the market town of Kanturk. The town is set astride the Dalua and Allow Rivers in North County Cork, in the Blackwater Valley.
- N 52'09'' W 08'54''
ENVIRONMENTAL AND HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
- The castle was the 9th property held by the National Trust and the only one outside the UK. Its ownership provides an important parallel of the development of the Heritage Trust movement.
- The castle is rectangular in shape with massive square towers at each corner. The main block has four storeys, the towers have five. There is a fine Renaissance door in the first floor on the north side and a more traditional pointed door on the ground floor on the south side. The flat 'Burgundian' arch is a feature of the ground-floor windows, while those on the upper storey and Tudor with two or three mullion. The castle has a remarkable number of well-preserved fireplaces. This building is an interesting combination of the traditional Irish tower-house architecture with pointed arches and the new Tudor architecture with Renaissance doorways and mullioned windows.
HISTORY / DESCRIPTION
Kanturk town is the capital of the ancient Barony of Duhallow. The Castle was built for MacDonogh MacCarthy, Lord of Duhallow around 1601 as a defence against the English. But news of its building reached England where the Privy Council, being uneasy about its purpose, ordered that building work should stop, possibly as a result of the disastrous Battle of Kinsale or possibly because MacDonagh could not borrow any more money from English moneylenders. So the castle was probably never completed. Dermot MacCarthy, into whose hands it later came, mortgaged it in 1641 to Sir Philip Perceval who after taking possession took out many of the fixtures and fireplaces to be placed in another of his properties.
HOW ACQUIRED
Donated to the National Trust Committee for Ireland by Lucy, Countess of Egmont on May 8th, 1900 under the condition that it be kept in the same condition as it was when handed over, i.e. a ruin
MANAGEMENT HISTORY
Kanturk Castle holds an interesting position within the National Trust movement. It was only the 9th property acquired by the National Trust and was declared inalienable under the 1907 Act. On 14th July 2000 the property was handed over to President McAleese on behalf of An Taisce, for the Irish people, at a well publicised event on the grounds of the castle following amended legislation in Westminister.
MANAGEMENT ISSUES AND FUTURE PLAN
- To attract funding for a comprehensive archaeological assessment of the castle and its environs to establish the extent of the property and the degree of completion. With more complete baseline date on the property decisions can be discussed on how best to harness its tourism potential.
- Establish an endowment fund
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