The Earl of Desmond and his kin hath of lands under him 120 miles, 400 horse, 8 bat of Gall, 1 bat of crossbow men and gunners, 3,000 kern. His country is long and so environed, and hateth the Kinge’s lawes, so as they give none aid – Dean of Lichfield1 The Dean of…… Continue Reading
Royal Sliabh Luachra – Land of Kings
In ages past, the district of Sliabh Luachra in Co Kerry was the land of kings, and Teamhair Earann was the royal residence of the race of Earna.1 The site of the royal fort may have been near Ballahantouragh, Castleisland.2 The fort was destroyed by knights of the Red Branch almost two thousand years ago.3…… Continue Reading
Fitzgerald of Adraval
David Fitzgerald of Adraval died in 1818 and was interred in the family vault at Kilnananima, near Cordal, Castleisland where tradition holds that Gerald, the Earl of Desmond, was laid to rest almost two hundred and fifty years earlier. A slab there is inscribed, THE BURIAL PLACE OF DAVID FITZGERALD OF ADRIVAL/ERECTED BY HIS…… Continue Reading
Castleisland Church and People by Fr Kieran O’Shea
Michael O’Donohoe made a study of Castleisland Church and People, a book (now rare) written by Fr Kieran O’Shea in 1981 (reprinted 1982). Michael’s study resulted in a handwritten index to the work, transcribed below, of great use to those conducting research into the town of Castleisland and vicinity. The book also contains…… Continue Reading
Daniel O’Connell The Liberator in Castleisland
If a re-enactment of Daniel O’Connell passing through Castleisland on his way home to Darrynane Abbey was staged, thousands of extras would be sought, such was the size of the crowd that turned out to greet him in December 1843 when he stopped at the town’s Brandon Arms Hotel.1 As early as 12 o’clock…… Continue Reading
Nineteenth Century Castleisland – the Heart of the Collection
Michael O’Donohoe’s detailed study of Timothy Charles Harrington’s nineteenth century newspaper, the Kerry Sentinel, might be described as the heart of the O’Donohoe Collection.1 It is, essentially, an A-Z of Castleisland-related people and subjects in the nineteenth century.2 The subjects, which run over many hundreds of pages, are varied and numerous. By…… Continue Reading
Military Record of Castleisland
It was inevitable that Michael O’Donohoe, son of Castleisland Garda, Matt, and a former resident of Barrack Lane, should take an interest in the military history of the town. The collection holds material on the general development of law and order in the Castleisland district including notes on the barracks, bridewell and courthouse and…… Continue Reading
Rates Records of Castleisland
Data from rates and census records of 1853, 1885, 1897 and 1911 collated into useful booklet form is held in this series of the Castleisland Collection. The result is a magnified glimpse of town and inhabitant in the second half of the nineteenth century. IE MOD-59-59.1 Thirteen page record of names (Ahern…… Continue Reading
Landlordism in Castleisland
‘Forfeitures of Kerry lands have been taking place since 1200’, observed Jeremiah King in his History of Kerry, describing the occurrences as ‘systems of robbery’.1 Within the ‘systems of robbery’, King identified the period of landlordism as 1710 to 1921. Michael O’Donohoe took a particular interest in this period. The collection contains…… Continue Reading
Michael Collins and the apple woman
Politician Michael Collins and the Civil War period find place in the O’Donohoe Collection.1 About one week before Michael Collins was shot, he won the blessings of an old apple woman. It occurred on 14 August 1922, just two days after the death of President Arthur Griffith, when ‘the responsibilities of controlling a…… Continue Reading