Listowel Castle, located near the town of

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

in Ireland, was built in the 15th century. It was the last bastion against Queen Elizabeth I in the

First Desmond Rebellion 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 and ...

, and was the last fortress of the Geraldines to be subdued. It fell after 28 days siege to

Sir Charles Wilmot Charles Wilmot, 1st Viscount Wilmot of Athlone (c. 1572 – 1644) was an English soldier active in Ireland. Life He was the son of Edward Wilmot of Culham (otherwise of Newent, Gloucestershire and Witney, Oxfordshire) and Elizabeth Stafford. O ...

on 5 November 1568, who had the castle's garrison executed in the following days. The castle is a noted example of Anglo-Norman architecture in County Kerry, and has been the subject of several restoration projects. It is now protected as a

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

, and is open to the public for tours on a daily basis.

History and restoration

The castle became the property of the Hare family, the holders of the title of Earl of Listowel, after reverting away from the Fitzmaurices,

Knights of Kerry Knight of Kerry (), also called The Green Knight, is one of three Hiberno-Norman hereditary knighthoods, all of which existed in Ireland since feudal times. The other two were The White Knight (surname fixed as Fitzgibbon), being dormant since ...

. The remaining remnants of the castle include two of its original four towers, which are joined by a heavy curtain wall, and the unusual feature of an arch below the battlements. Archaeological excavations and records of the castle reveal that it was originally of similar form to Bunratty Castle, County Clare. In 2005, restoration works were commenced by the Office of Public Works. The stonework has been cleaned by a team of craftsmen, while the upper section, which had become particularly distressed with the passing of time, was restored and rendered waterproof. An external staircase, in keeping with the architecture of the structure, was erected to enable the public to access the upper stories. Another Anglo-Norman castle at Woodford, Listowel, was built in the post-1600 period by the Knight of Kerry. The Seanchaí Literary Centre, which is adjacently located in a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

town house, includes displays on the castle's history.

Sources

Heritage Ireland: Listowel Castle
Castles in County Kerry Listowel National Monuments in County Kerry Ruins in the Republic of Ireland {{Kerry-geo-stub