Parkavonear Castle
| Parkavonear Castle | |
|
County Kerry | |
|---|---|
 Parkavonear Castle keep | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | V92939318 |
| Location: | 52°4’50"N, 9°33’46"W |
| History | |
| Built 12th century | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Ruinous |
| Owned by: | Heritage Ireland |
Parkavonear Castle is a ruined 13th-century castle in Aghadoe in County Kerry, overlooking the lakes of Killarney. It was built following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169.
The castle is two stories high, and, unusually, is built to a cylindrical design rather than the more common rectangular shape for Norman castles. The walls are six feet thick, and the internal floor space is several metres wide. There is a staircase within the wall joining the two floors. An entrance has been made into the lower floor, but originally the only entry would have been to the higher floor, enabling the occupants to pull in the ladder in time of attack.
Only the stone parts of the structure remain, as the wooden floors and roof have deteriorated and been removed.
Square earthworks surrounded the keep but only traces of them remain.
Parkavonear Castle takes its name from the Irish paírc an mhóinéir, meaning 'field of the meadow'. It is sometimes spelt 'Parkvonear', but local spelling includes the middle letter 'a'.