Killeen Castle, Dunsany
Killeen Castle (Irish: Caisleán an Chillín), located in Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland, is the current construction on a site occupied by a castle since around 1180. The current building is a restoration of a largely 19th century structure, burnt out in 1981.
Killeen was built as one of a pair of castles either side of a major roadway north, the other being the extant
History
The Cusacks
The original structure at Killeen Castle is said to have been a Norman fortification, perhaps wooden, built for the de Lacy magnates, and held from 1172 by the Cusack family, beginning with Geoffrey de Cusack. The stone castle was built by Geoffrey de Cusack around 1181.[2] The date is carved above the doorway.[3] Killeen Castle was the seat of the de Cusacks for over 250 years, from Geoffrey de Cusack (1172) until Lady Joan de Cusack (1441), who with her husband, Sir Christoper Plunkett, "caused the church to be built beside the castle.".[4] This chantry church is now a national monument [5]
An early recorded description of the castle and its interior[3] reads - The date is Aug 1st (the feast of St. Peter's Chains). As we approach the castle we are faced by four tall battlemented towers with five storeys of slit openings linking the curtain walls of the building. The castle is set on a slight mound. We enter by a steep wooden stairway, and find ourselves, having passed through the considerable thickness of the wall from the narrow doorway, into the Great Hall on the first floor. Rushes cover the stone flags, and besides the usual furniture, such as a trestle-table, benches and the straight-backed, carved, oaken armchair of the Lord of the Manor, we note on our left a heavy green and white curtain covering one wall of the Hall. Opposite us with its sloping stone hood is the fireplace with logs burning in the grate. The right hand wall is hung with the Lord's war harness, his morion, hunting trophies and feathered lure used in falconry. It is a costly piece with a perch and gilt borders.
In such surroundings the de Cusacks, Lords of Killeen, lived, made war, and expanded their fiefdoms for 225 years until the castle passed to the Plunketts through the marriage of Lady Joan de Cusack to Christopher Plunkett of Rathregan in 1399.
The Plunketts
The first Plunkett to hold the castle, Sir Christopher, became the 1st
The castle was developed over time, and by the fifteenth century was a mid-size fortified tower house.[citation needed]
The two branches of the original family remained close through the centuries and during the worst of the
The castle fell into disrepair in the late 17th century, was leased out, and was not restored until around 1779, when parts of the demesne were landscaped and some of the estate features were added.
Significant reworking was carried out from 1803 to 1813 under the supervision of Francis Johnston, and in 1841, much of the castle was demolished and rebuilt (using much existing material) by The 9th Earl of Fingall, in the style of a small Windsor Castle. The two towers added have the dates 1181 and 1841 inscribed, and at the time of completion, it was said that Killeen had 365 windows.[citation needed]
After the Plunketts
The last Earl moved from the estate to Corballis on the Dunsany Estate, then The Commons. He died in 1984 and is buried at Dunsany Church.[citation needed]
In 1978, the castle and estate were sold to advertiser Basil Brindley, who continued the stud farm operation. On 16 May 1981, the castle was burnt out in an arson attack, being left abandoned for many years. The lands and buildings were sold again in 1989.
New development
In 1989, a new development plan was proposed, and later revised, with multiple applications for permission, including the conversion of the castle into a high-end hotel, the installation of a championship standard golf course and the construction of more than one hundred units of luxury housing on the estate. With successive modifications and discussions, plans were approved, with conditions to protect parts of the demesne landscape, and estate features, including a holy well. Work began in 2005.
In August 2006 it was announced that Killeen Castle would open in 2009 as a 179-room luxury golf and spa hotel under
Golf
On 14 December 2006, after over a year of bidding, Killeen Castle was chosen as the host venue for the
"Dave Pelz Scoring Game School" opened at Killeen Castle estate in June 2008, with a focus on the game within 100 yards (91 m) of the hole.[10]
Contents
The demesne contains the castle itself, a substantial stable yard, a church (sometimes, incorrectly, called "Killeen Abbey"), a holy well (the "Lady Well"), a pond, a walled garden and other features.
The church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, was erected around 1425, is in the Gothic style and has an adjacent cemetery. It is preserved as a
Popular media
In 1966, scenes directed by John Huston for the film Casino Royale were filmed at the castle. For the purposes of the film, the castle was named 'Castle McTarry'.[citation needed]
References and footnotes
- ^ ISBN 0-9517382-0-8
- ^ Skryne and the Early Normans by E.Hickey 1994 p.93
- ^ a b Cusack.Fr.P.(1981) The Cusacks of Killeen, Co. Meath. O.Cist.
- ^ Dr Beryl F.E.Moore, p.27
- ^ Annals of St Mary's CSMii, p. 275
- ^ "Starwood lines up third Irish hotel". Breaking Travel News. 2 August 2006. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
- ^ "Starwood pulls out of Killeen hotel project". Meath Chronicle. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
- ^ "Ireland beats off challengers to capture 2011 Solheim Cup". Irish Independent. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
- ^ "Killeen Castle to Host the 2010 AIB Ladies Irish Open supported by Failte Ireland on August 6-8, 2010". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 19 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Dave Pelz Instruction at Killeen Castle". Dave Pelz Golf Schools. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
External sources
- Dunsany, County Meath, April 1991: Carty/Lynch - The History of Killeen Castle; Mary Rose Carty, ISBN 0-95173820-8
- Navan History, Mary Anne Cruise