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Parkavonear Castle is a 13th-century
Parkavonear Castle is a 13th-century Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
ruin in Aghadoe
Aghadoe (Irish: ''Achadh an Dá Eó'') is a large townland overlooking the town and lakes of Killarney in Ireland. Officially it is also a parish, although the parish is larger than the area normally associated with the name. The area is famous ...
in 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 ...
, overlooking the lakes of Killarney
Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castl ...
. It was built following the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169.
It 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 two metres 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'.
See also
*Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of ow ...
information plaque at the site
References
* Castles in County Kerry Ruins in the Republic of Ireland National Monuments in County Kerry {{Ireland-archaeology-stub