Ross Castle
| Ross Castle | |
|
County Kerry | |
|---|---|
 Ross Castle | |
| Type: | Tower house and keep |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | V94978876 |
| Location: | 52°2’28"N, 9°31’54"W |
| Town: | Killarney |
| History | |
| Built 15th century | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Heritage Ireland |
Ross Castle is a 15th-century tower house and keep on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, in County Kerry.[1] It is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan,[2] later associated with the Brownes of Killarney.[3]
The castle is operated by the Office of Public Works, and is open to the public seasonally with guided tours.[4]
History
Ross Castle was built in the late 15th century by local ruling clan the O'Donoghues Mor (Ross), though ownership changed hands during the Second Desmond Rebellion of the 1580s to the MacCarthy Mór. He then leased the castle and the lands to Sir Valentine Browne, ancestor of the Earls of Kenmare.
The castle was amongst the last to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads during the Irish Confederate Wars, and was only taken when artillery was brought by boat by way of the River Laune. Lord Muskerry (MacCarthy) held the castle against Edmund Ludlow who marched to Ross with 4,000 foot soldiers and 200 horse; however, it was by water that he attacked the stronghold. The Irish had a prophecy that Ross could never be taken until a warship could swim on the lake; an unbelievable prospect.
Ross may all assault disdain
Till on Lough Lein strange ship shall sail.
The ships were built in Kinsale, brought by water to Killorglin and then dragged by oxen to Ross Castle. The sight of the ships unnerved the onlookers and the castle soon submitted. Whether the proverb was made up after the event has not been admitted.
At the end of the wars, the Brownes were able to show that their heir was too young to have taken part in the rebellion and they retained the lands. By about 1688, they had erected a mansion house near the castle, but their adherence to King James II caused them to be exiled. The castle became a military barracks, which remained so until early in the 19th century. The Brownes did not return to live at Ross but built Kenmare House near Killarney.
There is a legend that O'Donoghue leaped or was sucked out of the window of the grand chamber at the top of the castle and disappeared into the waters of the lake along with his horse, his table and his library. It is said that O'Donoghue now lives in a great palace at the bottom of the lake where he keeps a close eye on everything that he sees.
Defensive features
Basic structure
The castle is typical of strongholds of Irish chieftains built during the Middle Ages. The tower house had square bartizans on diagonally opposite corners and a thick end wall. The tower was originally surrounded by a square bawn defended by round corner towers on each end.[4]
The structure is stacked and mortared stone with thick walls and providing five inner stories plus the roof.
The parapet at roof level is crenellated to allow defenders a protected position while shooting arrows or firing guns.
The castle has two machicolations (stone structures protruding out from the wall with holes in the floor for shooting or pouring boiling water). One protrudes over the front door and the other on the back wall.
The front entrance was a small anteroom secured by an iron grill or 'yett' at the outer wall. The yett could be closed from inside via a chain that could then be secured even if the front door was closed. This room provided small side access holes and a murder-hole above which allowed the defenders to attack anybody in the room.
Inner rooms
The first floor was used for storage.
The second floor was a living space for the house attendants and guards. Straw was spread on the floor to sleep on. There was typically no furniture.
The third floor was for food preparation and living and eating space for the house attendants and guards.
The fourth floor was the sleeping and living space for the chieftain and his family. The fourth floor had an arched stone roof supporting a stone floor of the fifth story as compared to the wood beam floors of the lower stories.
The fifth floor was the great room where the chieftain ate and entertained. This room was also the last sanctuary as it had a stone floor as a fire break from fire in the lower floors.
Gallery
-
Sketch of Ross Castle, 1830 -
Ross Castle
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ross Castle) |
- Ross Castle – Visitor information at Heritage Ireland
References
- ↑ Killarney National Park: History and heritage
- ↑ "Killarney's Ross Castle reopens for the tourist season". Independent News & Media. 30 November 2012. http://www.independent.ie/regionals/kerryman/news/killarneys-ross-castle-reopens-for-the-tourist-season-27404857.html. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ↑ Castleden, Rodin. The Castles of Britain and Ireland. Quercus, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Heritage Ireland - South-West: Ross Castle]@