Desmond Castle (Kinsale)

Tower house in County Cork, Ireland

51°42′27″N 8°31′50″W / 51.7075°N 8.5306°W / 51.7075; -8.5306TypeTower houseSite informationOwnerOffice of Public WorksOpen to
the publicyesSite historyBuilt1490–1510^[1]Built byMaurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of DesmondMaterialslimestone, slate, red brick, wrought iron, timber, glassBattles/warsSiege of Kinsale (1601–02)Garrison informationPast
commandersMaurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond

National monument of Ireland

Official nameDesmond Castle or The French Prison, KinsaleReference no.360^[2]

Desmond Castle (Irish: Caisleán Deasmhumhan) is a tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland.^[3]

History

The castle was built as the Customs House for Kinsale about the year 1500 by Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond, following the grant of the customs of the port of Kinsale to the Earls of Desmond by King Henry VII in 1497.^[4] Presumably there must have been an earlier structure on the site as the 1st Earl was Captain of Desmond Castle.

It was used as a Customs House until 1641 when it was converted into a naval prison, following the construction of a new Customs House. The prisoners kept in the Castle were in the main French and Spanish, and the building became known locally as the "French Prison" as a result.^[5]

In January 1747, a fire broke out, killing 54 of the prisoners. In 1791, the castle was donated by James Kearney MP to the town of Kinsale, and it was subsequently used as a town gaol till 1846, and during the Irish Famine as a workhouse.

In 1938, it was taken into national government hands, and much later, was restored and opened to the public by the Office of Public Works.^[6]

Wine museum

In 1997, the International Museum of Wine,^[7] which details the links between Ireland and the wine trade, and is run by the Order of the Wine Geese, was added.

References

^ "Desmond Castle, Cork Street, TOWNPLOTS, Kinsale, CORK". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
^ "National Monuments of County Cork in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 5. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
^ "Desmond Castle, Cork Street, TOWNPLOTS, Kinsale, CORK". Buildings of Ireland. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
^ "ArcGIS Web Application". maps.archaeology.ie. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
^ "Desmond Castle, Kinsale". Heritage Ireland. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
^ "Desmond Castle". Kinsale Chamber of Tourism & Business. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
^ "Desmond Castle International Museum of Wine, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland". Heritage Towns Of Ireland. Archived from the original on 7 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)