Dunmanway Castle (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Dún Mánmhaí'') was a late 15th century

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

that once stood on the north bank of the Sally ( Saileach) River in the town of

Dunmanway Dunmanway (, official Irish name: ) is a market town in County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant republican, for whom the ...

. It was the chief residence of the MacCarthys of Gleannacroim, before being forfeited in the late-17th century and granted to Cromwellian Lt-Colonel William Arnopp. Some speculation exists around the demolition of the building after it was sold to the Cox family in 1692 with lore suggesting the stone was used for the erection of a flour-mill.

History

The

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Flood myt ...

record that the tower house of "Dun-na-m-beann" was built by Catherine Fitzgerald, daughter of the 7th Earl of Desmond and wife of

Finghin MacCarthy Reagh Finghin MacCarthy Reagh ( ga, Fínghin Mac Carthaigh Riabhach) was the 10th Prince of Carbery from 1478 to his death in 1505. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty,Beann-dubh and Dun-na-m-beann were erected." It is claimed to be the first tower house built in this part of Carbery. From the mid-13th century, the surrounding district of Dunmanway was a stronghold of the MacCarthys of Gleannacroim, who were cousins to the MacCarthy Reaghs of Carbery—itself a branch of the MacCarthy Mór dynasty. No evidence appears to exist as to when this clan took possession of the tower house. However, it may have passed from the Reaghs to the MacCarthys of Gleannacroim after Catherine's death in 1506 with the view to reinforce the clan's hold within the area. In 1584, the Fiant of Eliz., No. 4416 authorised a pardon to clan chieftain Tadhg-an-Fhorsa I referenced as "Teig M'Dermod M'Cormoek M'Cartie, alias Teighe O'Norso, of Downeboy unmanway gent," for his involvement in the

Desmond Rebellions The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines an ...

, and thus the retention of holdings of land and goods. While no mention is given to the clan possessions or the castle at Dunmanway, a subsequent Fiant of Eliz., No. 5520, 1590 outlines a detailed reference to both, when Tadhg-an-Fhorsa I surrendered the Sept lands to

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

to be then regranted the entire territory as his personal estate under the system of "

surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...

''Grant to Thady M'Dermot Carthie of Donemayneway... the castle and lands of Donemayneway, county Cork, one quarter of land called the quarter of Kilwarrye, and one quarter of land respectively in each of the following: Dromlynie, Inchie, Drowmdrastell, Quynrahe... tc. To hold in tail male, by service of twentieth part of a knight's fee. Maintaining ten footmen when required for the queen's service.''

The tower house was purportedly seized by the 4th Earl of Thomond in 1602, under the direction of the

Lord President of Munster The post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munste ...

, George Carew, as a consequence of Tadhg-an-Fhorsa's participation in the Nine Years' War in Munster:

''...if Teg Onorsie's castles and Randel Duffes' (O'Hurley) shall in your opinion be meet for the service, doe you take them into your hands, and leave wards in them; but let not your intent bee discovered untill you be possessed of them.''

In June 1615, Tadhg-an-Fhorsa I went a second time through the process of surrender and regrant of his estate to

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

, and duly declared by will his disposal of them. On his death in 1618, Togher Castle passed to his younger son Dermod, with Dunmanway Castle going to his elder son and successor, Tadhg-an-Duna I ("of the fortress"). Otherwise called Tadhg-na-Feile, due to his great hospitality whilst living in Dunmanway Castle, the poet Domhnall na-Tuile praised his patron, "for the bestowal of wines and tender beef, and holiday dresses, and the love of humanity, Ireland possessed no chieftain equal to Tadgh-na-Feile". The involvement of Tadhg-an-Duna I in the Irish Rebellion of 1641, which he served as second in command of the Munster clan forces under Cormac MacCarthy Reagh lead to the sequestration of a large portion of his estate during the Cromwellian confiscations. The

terrier Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...

from the 1655-58

Down Survey The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland, carried out by English scientist, William Petty, in 1655 and 1656. The survey was apparently called the "Down Survey" by Petty, either because the results were set down in maps or because the s ...

map for the parish of "Funlobbish and Kilmichil" lists within the estate of "Teig Carthy als Downe" for the year 1641, "one castle and mill on Dunmanaway" with 1,460 arable and pastoral acres. In 1652, Tadhg's widow Honor O'Donovan and his youngest son, Callahan/Ceallaghan are recorded as living in Dunmanway Castle. However, it was with the distribution of the forfeited MacCarthy lands during the reign of Charles II that Cromwellian officer "Lt-Collonell William Arnop, 26 June 1666, passed patent for 3 plowlands of Dunmanway, and 2 gneeves of Togher, containing, 1,460 acres profitable, and 594 acres unprofitable". In 1670, William Arnopp is returned by the '' Books of Survey and Distribution'' as owner of the townland of Dunmanway, an area which included Dunmanway Castle. On 16 August 1692, Peirce Arnopp, son of Lt-Collonell William Arnopp sold his share of his father's estate of 2,932 acres around Dunmanway to Sir Richard Cox. During this period, Cox acquired further possessions and became the principle landholder in the district. He also expended much effort in the establishment of the town of Dunmanway. Conflicting lore surrounds the demolition of the tower house. Some credit the same Sir Richard Cox with its destruction as a means to source material to build both his mansion and the "Market House", as well as the "Long Bridge" which spans the

River Bandon The River Bandon ( ga, Abhainn na Bandan, from ''ban-dea'', meaning "goddess") is a river in County Cork, Ireland. The Bandon rises at Nowen Hill (one of the Shehy Mountains), to the north of Drimoleague. The river then flows to Dunmanway, ...

to the east of the town. According to Rev Lyons and Gillman, the castle walls did not disappear until about 1830. George Bennett records in his 1869 publication ''History of Bandon'':

There is not even one stone left upon another of this famous old fortalice... as its walls, and its very foundations, were uprooted some years ago, to furnish building-stone for the erection of a flour-mill in the vicinity.

Bennett also noted:

While the workman were engaged in this work of demolition, and blotting out every trace of this-the first stone castle that was ever erected in this part of Carbery-they came upon a subterraneous chamber. Carefully removing the superincumbent earth and rubbish, they descended into the granary. It was from this reservoir the Geraldines, and their successors, the McCarthys, drew supplies for the kern and the gallow-glasses; at the head of whom they often struck terror into the heart of some neighbouring chieftains, or engaged in the hopless enterprize of endeavouring to drive out the stranger who had settled amongst them, and who called their country his own. The granary contained several compartments, and these were nearly all filled with native wheat. The compartments themselves were in perfect order, but the wheat, which time and circumstances had shrunk and discoloured, was found to be as hard as shot, and quite as black.

The place-name of Dunmanway

Known settlements in the area before the arrival of the MacCarthys may have been the basis of the naming of the territory, with O'Mahony suggesting it being the location of "Duncoba", one of the three residences of the King of the Ui Eachach. However, he speculates the naming of the area may have evolved with the building of the late 15th century tower house, influencing both the name of the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

in which it stood and subsequently the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

which evolved around it. While there is some difference of opinion to the exact meaning of the Irish word "Dúnmaonmhuighe"/"Dúnmaonmhuí", some interpret the translation of the compound word as a combination of both topographic elements and a man-made structure incorporated into its name with “the castle of the yellow river” (Dun-own-bwee), or “fort of the middle plain” (Dun Meadhon Mhuige).{{Cite web, title=Fanlobbus Parish (Dunmanway): Dunmanway North, url=http://www.dunmanwayhistoricalassociation.com/post/Fanlobus-Parish-(Dunmanway).aspx, access-date=3 July 2020, website=Dunmanway Historical Association However, according to Irish language scholar John O'Donovan, the name signifies a description of the structure only, thus being "the fort of the gables or pinnacles" (Dun-na-mbeann). Another derivation is outlined in the ''History of Bandon'' with it translating as "the fort of the yellow women", "the yellow women being the term applied by the Irish to the Spanish soldiers who garrisoned the fort, in contempt of the colour of their skin, and the cloaks which they wore". This may have been further inspired by the story that "Spanish coins (''temp.'' Ferdinand and Isabella) were dug up where Dunmanway Castle stood."

References

Historic buildings and structures in Ireland Tower houses in the Republic of Ireland County Cork