In earlier times, the McElligotts held an impressive number of castles in the parish which takes their family name: Bally Mac Elligot distant to the east from Tralee about three miles, has in it the ruins of some considerable castles but it is chiefly remarkable for its name, which it takes from the Mac…… Continue Reading
The Battle of Lixnaw
In the ‘Castle of the Island’ in the year 1422, an indenture was drawn up between James, Earl of Desmond, and Fitzmaurice, Lord of Kerry and Lixnaw. The document, witnessed and sealed by the Bishop of Ardfert, reveals how two powerful families engaged in a treaty for peace. Indenture of Agreement between the Earl…… Continue Reading
Mary Agnes Hickson and the Earls of Desmond
Nineteenth century Kerrywoman, Mary Agnes Hickson (1825-1899), is perhaps best known for her Selections from Old Kerry Records which she compiled from historical manuscripts inherited from her father.1 The volumes served to establish her reputation as a genealogist and historian. This was underlined in the first volume of her subsequent work, Ireland in the…… Continue Reading
Apes, Geese and other Enchantments: The Earls of Desmond in Legend
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
Maps of Kerry through the Ages
You do not have to be a cartographer to enjoy the fascinating compilation of maps of Kerry, dating from the 1500s to the present, held in the Castleisland Collection.1 It contains almost one hundred maps which illustrate not alone the geography of Kerry but the peculiarities of spelling and the artistry…… 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
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
The Earls of Desmond in Castleisland
The Erl of Desmond and his kin hath of lands under him 120 miles. Four hundred horse, eight battles of Galoglas, 1 battalion crossbow men and gunners, three thousand kerns. His country is long, and so environed, and hateth the kings laws, so they give none aid. A part of Burghs, called the Bourgh country,…… Continue Reading