Kiltinan Castle is a castle near
Fethard, County Tipperary
Fethard (; ) (archival records) is a small town in County Tipperary, Ireland. Dating to the Norman invasion of Ireland, the town's walls were first laid-out in the 13th century, with some sections of these defensive fortifications surviving ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
History and architecture
Kiltinan is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland, having been built in the thirteenth century.
[Kiltinan Castle](_blank)
Fethard.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-14. The castle stands upon an eminence of limestone rock and overlooks the Clashawley River.
Features of the castle demesne include the castellated gateway at its main entrance, its dovecote (pigeon house) which dates from the fifteenth century, its
Sheila-na-Gig stone, and its pet graveyard, which dates to the early twentieth century.
Owners
The first known inhabitants were the Butler family, of the branch which held the title
Baron Dunboyne
Baron Dunboyne was a title first held by the Petit family some time after the Norman invasion of Ireland.
History
Dunboyne was part of the Lordship of Meath. The Petit family also had land holdings in Mullingar. In 1227, Ralph Petit became Bishop ...
, and it was held by them until the 17th century, during the
Cromwellian
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in History of England, English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 ...
invasion into Ireland when the castle was attacked by Cromwell on 13 February 1650.
Following the bombardment, Kiltinan was extensively remodelled by the Cooke family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The castle was first established as a racehorse stud farm in 1918, when it was bought by Capt. F.J.B. De Sales La Terriere, M.F.H.
[Life Piles of the Rich & Famous](_blank)
Irish Independent Although he was a British army officer, the castle was then a safe-house for the IRA during the
Irish War of Independence and Kiltinan sometimes provided hospitality for British officers and fugitive rebels in turn. The captain's wife
Joan de Sales La Terriere
Joan Mary de Sales La Terriere (1889–1968) was an Irish socialite and equestrienne, born in County Tipperary. She was one of the early luminaries of show jumping. She was also the last plaintiff from Ireland to secure a parliamentary divorce vi ...
was a well-known horsewoman and socialite.
The stud farm which is attached to the castle is now run by
Madeleine Gurdon
Madeleine Astrid Gurdon, Baroness Lloyd-Webber (born 30 November 1962) is an English horsewoman. She is married to theatrical impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Early life
Madeleine "Gurtie" Gurdon was born in 1962 into a military family, one of fo ...
, the wife of
Andrew Lloyd Webber. She also runs the associated establishment in England, Watership Down Stud.
See also
*
Bulmer de Sales La Terriere
Fenwick Bulmer de Sales La Terriere (1856–1925) was a Colonel of the British Army, Knight of the Order of the Medjidie, a member of the French nobility,[Kiltinan Church Sheela-na-gig
The Kiltinan Church sheela-na-gig is a carved depiction of a nude woman exposing her vulva which used to be part of Kiltinan Church ruin near Fethard, County Tipperary as a quoin stone in the Southwestern corner of the church. However, it was sto ...](_blank)
References
External links
Kiltinan Castle, Middlethird, Kiltinan, KiltinanNational Inventory of Architectural Heritage
18 May 2002 independent.ie
* Lord Dunboyne (1968) Kiltinan Castle, Co. Tipperary – A Butler Stronghold 1452–1650. The Journals of the Butler Society. 1(1) p52.
{{coord missing, County Tipperary
Culture in County Tipperary
Castles in County Tipperary