Kilcash Castle
Encyclopedia
Kilcash Castle is a ruined castle off the N24 road just west of Ballydine in South Tipperary
, Ireland
. The castle consists of a fortified sixteenth-century tower and an adjoining hall added at a later date.
has important links to the area. The third son of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond was John Butler of Kilcash
who occupied lands in Kilcash. His heirs went on to provide four immediate heirs to the earldom of Ormond when the senior line failed through lack of legitimate male issue.
Near the castle are the remains of a medieval church with a Romanesque doorway. This building was partially repaired in the 1980s and is now safe to visit. In the graveyard, the mausoleum (a building nearly as large as the church) contains the tombs of Archbishop Christopher Butler (1673–1757), Margaret, Viscountess Iveagh (see below), Walter Butler
, the 16th Earl of Ormond (d. 1773) and John Butler
, the 17th Earl (d. 1795). Some of the eighteenth-century headstones are carved with elaborate scenes of the crucifixion.
The main castle building is a fortified tower dating from the sixteenth-century. An adjoining hall was added at a later date, when the need for defence gave way to the large windows associated with settled times. In the sixteenth century the manor of Kilcash passed from the Wall family into the possession of the Butlers of Ormond until the latter sold it to the Irish State in 1997 for £500.
The castle was visited by James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven
, a noted Confederate Catholic commander in the 1641-52 war, who wrote his memoirs at Kilcash where his sister, Lady Frances, was married to another Confederate commander, Richard Butler of Kilcash (d. 1701).
By the 19th century, the castle had fallen into ruin after parts of the Kilcash estate were sold c. 1800. During the Irish Civil War
, the castle was occupied by anti-treaty forces in an attempt to slow the approach of pro-treaty forces towards Clonmel. They were finally dislodged by artillery fire under the command of General Prout
, further damaging the already dilapidated structure.
By the late twentieth century the castle was in a dangerous state of repair. It is currently undergoing extensive repairs which will prevent it from collapsing.
South Tipperary
South Tipperary is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Munster. It is named after the town of Tipperary and consists of 52% of the land area of the traditional county of Tipperary. The county was established in 1898 and has had a county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The castle consists of a fortified sixteenth-century tower and an adjoining hall added at a later date.
History
Kilcash may have been a monastic foundation of the mid sixth century. The Butler dynastyButler dynasty
Butler dynasty refers to the several branches of the Butler family that has its origins in the Cambro-Norman family that participated in the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. Variant spellings include le Boteler and le Botiller. The surname has its origins in the hereditary office of...
has important links to the area. The third son of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond was John Butler of Kilcash
John Butler of Kilcash
John Butler of Kilcash was the third son of James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond and Lady Joan Fitzgerald.-Marriage and issue:...
who occupied lands in Kilcash. His heirs went on to provide four immediate heirs to the earldom of Ormond when the senior line failed through lack of legitimate male issue.
Near the castle are the remains of a medieval church with a Romanesque doorway. This building was partially repaired in the 1980s and is now safe to visit. In the graveyard, the mausoleum (a building nearly as large as the church) contains the tombs of Archbishop Christopher Butler (1673–1757), Margaret, Viscountess Iveagh (see below), Walter Butler
Walter Butler, 16th Earl of Ormonde
Walter Butler, 16th Earl of Ormonde and 9th Earl of Ossory , succeeded his first cousin as de jure Earl of Ormonde but did not assume the honours.-Ancestry:* Walter Butler, 11th Earl of Ormond...
, the 16th Earl of Ormond (d. 1773) and John Butler
John Butler, 17th Earl of Ormonde
John Butler, 17th Earl of Ormonde and 10th Earl of Ossory was an Irish peer and Member of Parliament . He represented Gowran between 1776 and 1783, and Kilkenny City between 1783 and 1792...
, the 17th Earl (d. 1795). Some of the eighteenth-century headstones are carved with elaborate scenes of the crucifixion.
The main castle building is a fortified tower dating from the sixteenth-century. An adjoining hall was added at a later date, when the need for defence gave way to the large windows associated with settled times. In the sixteenth century the manor of Kilcash passed from the Wall family into the possession of the Butlers of Ormond until the latter sold it to the Irish State in 1997 for £500.
The castle was visited by James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven
James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven
James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven was the son of Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven and his first wife, Elizabeth Barnham...
, a noted Confederate Catholic commander in the 1641-52 war, who wrote his memoirs at Kilcash where his sister, Lady Frances, was married to another Confederate commander, Richard Butler of Kilcash (d. 1701).
By the 19th century, the castle had fallen into ruin after parts of the Kilcash estate were sold c. 1800. During the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, the castle was occupied by anti-treaty forces in an attempt to slow the approach of pro-treaty forces towards Clonmel. They were finally dislodged by artillery fire under the command of General Prout
John T. Prout
John T. Prout was an Irish American soldier. He held one of the senior commands in the Irish Army during the Irish Civil War...
, further damaging the already dilapidated structure.
By the late twentieth century the castle was in a dangerous state of repair. It is currently undergoing extensive repairs which will prevent it from collapsing.
Lament for Kilcash
The castle is best known for the song "A Lament for Kilcash" which mourns the death of Margaret Butler, Viscountess Iveagh (d. 1744), who, after the death of her first husband, married to Colonel Thomas Butler of Kilcash (d. 1738). The song was traditionally ascribed to Fr John Lane (d. 1776) but the woods lamented in its first stanza were not sold until 1797 and 1801, long after Lane's death. The earliest manuscripts of the poem date from the mid nineteenth century. Its first stanza reads:- Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan adhmad?
- Tá deireadh na gcoillte ar lár;
- níl trácht ar Chill Chais ná ar a teaghlach
- is ní bainfear a cling go bráth.
- An áit úd a gcónaíodh an deighbhean
- fuair gradam is meidhir thar mhnáibh,
- bhíodh iarlaí ag tarraingt tar toinn ann
- is an t-aifreann binn á rá.
- Now what will we do for timber,
- With the last of the woods laid low?
- There's no talk of Cill Chais or its household
- And its bell will be struck no more.
- That dwelling where lived the good lady
- Most honoured and joyous of women
- Earls made their way over wave there
- And the sweet Mass once was said.