Desmond Banqueting Hall, Newcastlewest, County Limerick:

General information: 069 77408, desmondhall@opw.ie

For the season that’s in it, at this beginning of December 2024, I feel it is appropriate to publish this post about a Banqueting Hall! I also would like to remind my readers that I have a few 2025 calendars left, and I am discounting them as the printing did not turn out so well and the images are unfortunately a bit dark. If you prefer one of better quality, I will have to charge the higher price of €30.

2026 Diary of Irish Historic Houses (section 482 properties)

To purchase an A5 size 2026 Diary of Historic Houses (opening times and days are not listed so the calendar is for use for recording appointments and not as a reference for opening times) send your postal address to jennifer.baggot@gmail.com along with €20 via this payment button. The calendar of 84 pages includes space for writing your appointments as well as photographs of the historic houses. The price includes postage within Ireland. Postage to U.S. is a further €10 for the A5 size calendar, so I would appreciate a donation toward the postage – you can click on the donation link.

€20.00

donation

Help me to pay the entrance fee to one of the houses on this website. This site is created purely out of love for the subject and I receive no payment so any donation is appreciated!

€15.00

Donation towards accommodation

I receive no funding nor aid to create and maintain this website, it is a labour of love. I travel all over Ireland to visit Section 482 properties and sometimes this entails an overnight stay. A donation would help to fund my accommodation.

€150.00

From the OPW website https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/desmond-castle-newcastlewest/:

“Many of Ireland’s surviving medieval halls are in west Limerick. The Desmond Banqueting Hall in Newcastle West is one of the most impressive among them.

“It was begun in the thirteenth century by Thomas ‘the Ape’ FitzGerald, so named because of the story that an ape took him from his cradle to the top of Tralee Castle – and delivered him safely back again.

“However, most of the spacious, imposing structure was created in the fifteenth century, at the height of the Desmond earls’ power, and used as a venue for frequent and lavish banquets.

“The oak gallery, from which musicians would provide a raucous soundtrack for the revelry below, has been fully restored.“

The prefix “Fitz” is taken from the Norman-French “fiz” son of. Early members of the family were known by their father’s name, ie. Fitzmaurice or Fitzthomas, but eventually the name settled to be Fitzgerald.

The Fitzgeralds were Anglo-Norman and came to Ireland at the time of King Henry II in 1169. After the initial colonisation of Ireland in the southwest and east, the Fitzgeralds and some others pushed into the southwest, the information boards tell us. It was only after the death of Donal Mór Ó Brien, King of Thomond, in 1194 that the Fitzgeralds and other Normans took over most of Limerick. By 1215 they held the towns of Cork, Limerick and Waterford and had built a castle in Dungarvan.

An inquisition of lands in 1298 describes the manor of Newcastle as containing the “New Castle with buildings inside and outside the walls” and the mill of Newcastle.

The surviving buildings are Desmond Hall and Halla Mór. This is possibly the site of the earliest castle foundations, and remnants of the early walls are found underground today. The Desmond hall shows more than one phase of development. Embedded in the exterior of the south wall are vestiges of four early thirteenth century sandstone lancet windows. The fifteenth century development of the hall by the 7th Earl of Desmond introduced many changes including the addition of a projecting tower with small chambers and a stairwell to the Northwest corner.

The lower level of the banqueting hall has an excellent display of boards telling us more about the history of the Fitzgerald Earls of Desmond. An old fireplace is set in one wall, it seems to be from 1638.

The visitor centre lies in a building across the courtyard, and another building is being refurbished.

The first claim to the land of Desmond was obtained by the Fitzgeralds when John Fitzthomas married the co-heiress Margery FitzAnthony and was granted in 1251 a share in her father’s lands described as “all the lands of Decies and Desmond and custody of the castle of Dungarvan.” This land was added to the Fitzgerald landholdings in Limerick and North Kerry. In 1292 King Edward I (d. 1307) granted Thomas Fitzmorice (Fitzgerald) and his wife Margaret Berkeley, who was a cousin of the king, “joint custody of Decies and Desmond.” It’s interesting that the wife was given joint custody, and that daughters could be heirs, which as we know was not always the case.

A leaflet from the castle tells us that by 1298, a strong stone castle stood overlooking the Arra River in Newcastle West. Curtain walls with defensive towers surrounding the main buildings, a variety of simple thatched houses and byres for cattle as well as fishponds. The Normans immediately began to consolidate their position by negotiating with the local Gaelic families, while driving the poorer Gaelic peasants into the mountains. By the time of Maurice Fitzthomas Fitzgerald (abt. 1293-1356), the O’Briens to the north had become firm allies of the Fitzgeralds. In 1329, Maurice was created 1st Earl of Desmond, the term “Desmond” being derived from the Irish Deas mnumhain meaning south Munster. By this time the Fitzgeralds were using the Irish language in their daily lives and had taken on many of the values and habits of the Irish culture.

The 1st Earl plotted against the King of England, and allied himself with the Gaelic lords. They pillaged many settlements in the south of Ireland. He is said to have written to the Pope to say that King Edward III of England had no right to the lordship of Ireland. It is also claimed that he wrote to the kings of France and Scotland to form an alliance. During a campaign against him he lost his castles at Askeaton and Castleisland. However, the King pardoned him and made him Chief Justiciar of Ireland in 1355.

Gearóid Iarla (c. 1338-1398) became the 3rd Earl of Desmond in 1356. He was an expert mathematician and apparently, the leaflet tells us, a magician! He was also a poet and introduced the idea of courtly love into Gaelic poetry. He also served as Justiciar. He married Alianore, or Eleanor, Butler, daughter of James 2nd Earl of Ormond.

Despite the marriage alliance between the Desmonds and the Ormonds, they still battled. A fifteen day conference at Clonmel in 1384 led to a treaty between the families.

Thomas the 8th Earl of Desmond (c. 1426-1468) was made Lord Deputy of Ireland 1464-67. During his time the Desmonds fought again with the Ormonds, including during the War of the Roses when they took opposing sides. The Ormonds supported the victorious Lancasters.

The 8th Earl was however thought to side with the Irish still and was executed by the next Lord Deputy.

The information boards give us more history about Desmond family. The Earls of Desmond fell out of favour after the 8th Earl was executed in 1468.

After the execution of the 8th Earl of Desmond in 1468, the later Earls withdrew from contact with England. The leaflet from the site tells us that the arrival of new settlers in Munster as well as Catholic mistrust of the Protestant state set off risings by the Earls in 1567-73 and 1579-83. Earl Gerald (15th Earl) was declared an outlaw and Munster was laid waste by Crown forces. The rebellion was a failure and Gerald was captured and killed during a cattle raid. The Desmond lands were taken and distributed to English settlers.

This takes us up to the fifteenth century and the time when the Hall would have been used, as we see it today. The information board tells us that the Hall was where the Lord held court, and that this has two meanings: it was the court of judgement as well as the court of entertainment and dining.

The Banqueting Hall was restored in the early 19th century, the ruined battlements were taken down and a new pitch pine roof was put on. The original hooded stone fireplace had collapsed and a seventeenth century replacement, the one we now see in the lower vault, was installed, taken from a house in Kilmallock. The Banqueting Hall was used as a Masonic lodge and later as a general purpose hall for the community.

The leaflet tells us that when the 17th century fireplace was taken down for repair and cleaning, enough of the original hooded fireplace remained that it could be reconstructed with reasonable accuracy.

There was evidence for a timber screen at the west end of the hall, and this has been replaced by a musician’s gallery made of oak.

I was surprised to hear that the windows facing the village would have had glass in the fifteenth century. The other side, away from public view, would not have had this expensive luxury.

The later history of Desmond Hall is after the lands of Gerald the 15th Earl of Desmond were seized.

After the Earls of Desmond has lost their land, it was given to some prominent and wealthy Englishmen who would develop the Munster Plantation. These men, called “Undertakers,” would undertake to establish English families on the land they were given. Sir William Courtenay (or Courtney) (1553-1630), 3rd Earl of Devon, was granted 10,000 acres at Newcastle. He was originally from Devon in England, and he was given land on condition that eighty English colonists would be housed on his property.

Newcastle passed to William Courtenay’s son George Courtenay (d. 1644), who in 1621 became 1st Baronet Courtenay of Newcastle, County Limerick. The sign boards tell us that in 1641 English settlers crowded into the protection of the walled castle, but after a long seige it fell to General Purcell of the Confederate forces. The Confederates where an amalgamation of Gaelic Ulster families and Anglo-Norman families who were dissatisfied with assurances given to them by King Charles I about their freedom to practice their Catholic faith, and they feared the militant intolerance of the English Parliament.

The Courteneys built an mansion to replace the destroyed castle. George’s son Francis inherited, but as he had no offspring, Newcastle passed to his cousin, William Courtenay (1628-1702) 5th Earl of Devon and 1st Baronet Courtenay. The property remained in the family but they did not live there, and finally it was sold in 1910.

In 1777 William 2nd Viscount Courtenay (1742-1788) built a Church of Ireland church between the Banqueting Hall and the main square of the town. It was demolished in 1962 as it had fallen into disrepair. The 2nd Viscount was 8th Earl of Devon and 4th Baronet Courtenay.

In 1922 the main building, then known as Devon Castle, burnt, and was replaced by a house nearby. The Desmond Hall was sold to the Nash family, and finally the Land Commisson took over the land. Desmond Hall was used for town social events and the Halla Mór as a cinema. The Hall became a National Monument in 1981. Restoration began in 1989.

Sorry I published and sent an entry of my notes about Dunroe Lodge, County Carlow. I’m compiling a database on big houses for myself and I published that entry by mistake. I also published an entry last week by mistake. It’s very unprofessional of me – sorry for sending you random unsuitable posts!

Open dates in 2026: Jan 1- Dec 31, Mon-Fri, excluding Bank Holidays, 12 noon-5pm

Fee: Free [caution: when we visited during Heritage Week 2024, it was not open]

Stephen and I visited Crotty Church in Birr during Heritage Week in 2024.

However, the building was not open, and I suspect it never is, as it has been converted to apartments. Instead, we sat outside the building despite rain threatening, and listened to a talk organised by Aoife Crotty about the Crotty Schism (1820-1850) which was led by Father Michael Crotty (1795-1862). Disgusted at not having access to the building despite its Section 482 designation, I didn’t ask Aoife whether she is related to Father Michael Crotty! The speaker who gave the rather rambling talk did not introduce himself so I did not identify who he is, and I suspect he is an owner of the building. The Inventory tells us that the building was built in 1839. The Schism itself began in 1826.

The Inventory describes the former church: “Hipped slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and cast-iron rainwater goods. Ashlar limestone to façade with tooled stone quoins, roughcast render to sides and rear elevations. Pointed-arched window openings to façade with tooled stone surrounds and sills with timber casement windows. Square-headed openings to sides and rear elevations with stone sills and timber casement windows. Tudor arched door opening with chamfered stone reveals, timber battened door, surmounted by fanlight. Side and rear site bounded by random coursed stone wall.“

Although the building was built for a Catholic congregation originally, the followers of Michael Crotty, it is identified in the National Inventory as a Presbyterian former church. [1] The talk’s presenters were unable to tell us much about the history of the building.

There are a few graves outside the church, which seemed oddly random, and the talk’s organisers were unable to tell us about them. It looks like there may be gravestones but perhaps the burials did not actually take place on the grounds of the church.

Crotty began his position as a Catholic priest in Birr in 1821. With an increasing Catholic population, the congregation needed a new church.

He began his training to be a Catholic priest in Maynooth University but left, and finished his training in France. He obtained a position in Birr, but he became increasingly radical and he and his cousin, William Crotty (1808–56), also a Catholic priest, favoured Protestant rather than Catholic beliefs. They sought to set up a new church in a new building, and took many of their congregation with them. Lord Rosse of Birr Castle contributed toward the building fund, which was set up in 1808. Crotty fell out with the Building Committee and the Parish Priest, and in 1825 he was moved to Shinrone. However, in 1826 he was back in Birr causing trouble, arguing with the parish priest and attempting to take over the Catholic church building, staging a “sit in.” The new church still had not been built. It took the 66th Regiment of the army under Lord Rosse to evict Crotty and his followers!

Next Crotty rented a house where he held services. The building we visited was not the only one that the congregation occupied. One of the organisers of the talk pointed out another building across the road, an old warehouse, where Crotty also preached. This too is being converted to apartments.

The same owner owns The Maltings, also a Section 482 property, which is meant to offer tourist accommodation and therefore does not need to open to the public. However, any time I have tried to book this accommodation, several times over the years since 2019, the building is not actually offering tourist accommodation.

The organisers of the talk gave us a booklet about the Crotty Schism, written by Reverend Edward Whyte. Michael Crotty was increasingly erratic and eventually ended up in an asylum for the mentally ill in Belgium. William became a Presbyterian minister in Birr.

You can read more about the Schism in an article on the Offaly History Blog by Ciaran McCabe. [2]

[1] https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/14819102/birr-presbyterian-church-castle-street-townparks-bb-by-birr-co-offaly

[2] https://offalyhistoryblog.wordpress.com/2023/04/01/the-second-reformation-and-catholic-protestant-relations-in-pre-famine-ireland-with-a-case-study-of-the-crotty-schism-in-birr-by-ciaran-mccabe/

For sale October 2024, €1,650,000, courtesy Lisney Sotheby’s, 5 bedroom, 4 bath 641m2

Every once in a while a property is offered for sale which I think could become a Section 482 property. I can’t resist sharing this one, which is a joy. I have still to write of the other mill house, Millbrook, which we visited this year, and I have yet to visit Kilcarbry in Wexford, another corn mill, and Fancroft Mill in Tipperary.

The advertisement reads: “An attractive and exquisite residence sympathetically set within the fabric of an historic corn mill and magically situated within private grounds, which extend to the banks of the river Liffey and include the original cascading mill race canal. In all about 3 acres or 1.2 hectares and some 6,900 square feet or 641 square metres of accommodation.”

The ad tells us: “Historically and architecturally significant Yeomanstown Corn Mill has a rare magical quality and retaining much of the original industrial mill equipment makes a truly unique and enchanting residence. Milling activity on the grounds of Yeomanstown Corn Mill is thought to date back to the 14th-century. The current mill is largely late Georgian, circa 1810, in composition but likely incorporates earlier structures. A mill illustrated on maps back to 1654 in the mid-17th-century.“

The ad continues: “With the resplendent red brick exterior stretching up to four and five floors and abutting the cascading mill wheel canal Yeomanstown Corn Mill is enchanting and extremely picturesque. The restoration and conversion of the building into a home magically marries the rare original industrial charm with contemporary living requirements, to create an utterly enticing and fun home. The unashamedly industrial themed interior incorporates well thought out living spaces punctuated with original millstones, corn elevator shafts, massive ceiling beams, rustic timber staircases and ladders, white washed walls and varying ceiling heights to alluring effect.“

I love all the wood inside and the beautiful stone flooring.

“A flagged stone reception hall retains the original corn milling wheels behind a glass wall and features the rustic mill staircase to the upper floors and leads to a study, an office, a spacious bathroom with a large bath, a shower and a sauna and two bedrooms, one with a hobbit like door to an enclosed walled garden.“

“The first floor has a large open plan kitchen with a fully fitted kitchen, large breakfast counter worktop, industrial themed lighting and incorporating original mill fittings and equipment to great effect. It leads to a fine living room with a large cast iron stove and used as a dining and television space, off the kitchen there is a large pantry.“

“The second floor has an incredible double height studio space with an evocative mix of tall white washed walls and exposed timber beams and boards and, again, incorporating original mill components. A large cast iron stove ample warms the space and there are two stairs to an upper mezzanine library floor. Itself opening onto the third-floor landing, which leads to the marvellously generous master bedroom suite with a large bedroom and interconnecting shower room and dressing room. There are two further bedrooms (on the second floor) one with a shower room ensuite and the other served by a second shower room on the landing hall. The final fifth or attic floor was previously utilised as an art studio space and is currently used as a gym and store.“

“Bounding the river Liffey and including a fine riverbank stretch, one part opening into a natural river swimming hole or pool, the gardens are well-timbered and private. A striking cut-stone aqueduct bridge, Victoria Bridge, dates to 1837 and forms a great folly backdrop to the gardens. An original wrought iron bridge beside the impressive and large timber mill wheel leads to the gardens, abundant with wildlife and having an island like feel, being bounded by the canal and river. Although usefully also be accessed by vehicular gate. The mill wheel is thought capable of generating 3kw of electricity per hour, or more, in a recent appraisal.“

I always think we should use water power again! I thought years ago I read that a hotel on Charlemount Street was going to tap into the Poddle below to generate electricity, but I never heard more about it – let me know if you know about it!

“Yeomanstown is a highly fashionable area and links easily to Dublin city and airport. The nearby village of Caragh is quaint and includes a school, petrol station, grocery store, take-away restaurants and a hair salon. Naas town is just 7.7miles miles or 12.3km away and has a hospital and array of shopping, pubs, eateries and restaurants. Sallins village, just a 12 minutes drive away, provides train access with extensive commuter services into Dublin city.“

Forgive me for once again not publishing about a Section 482 property – I am on a prolonged hiatus, as we were so busy trying to buy ourselves a small country hideaway for writing and growing fruit and vegetables. We are finally nearly completed the process, I think! Unfortunately we can’t buy something like this, an absolute dream home, but I’m delighted with what we have found.