Kilcolman Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kilcolman Castle |
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| Native name Irish: Caisleán Chill Cholmáin |
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Illustration of the castle, 1885
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| Type | tower house |
| Location | Kilcolman East, Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland |
| Built | c. 1420s |
| Owner | Office of Public Works |
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Kilcolman Castle is an old tower house located in County Cork, Ireland. It was once the home of a famous poet named Edmund Spenser.
Contents
Where is Kilcolman Castle?
Kilcolman Castle is found about 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) northeast of Buttevant. It sits near the edge of Kilcolman Bog. The castle is also close to the River Awbeg and south of the Ballyhoura Mountains.
The History of Kilcolman Castle
This spot was originally home to an old ringfort. A ringfort was a circular fort from ancient times. It was called Cathair Gobhann, which means "the smith's fort." This fort belonged to a tribe called the Uí Rossa.
Building the Castle
The castle you see today was built in the 1420s. It was built by James FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Desmond. He bought the land for the castle around the year 1418.
Edmund Spenser's Home
After a big rebellion (the Second Desmond Rebellion) from 1579 to 1583, the King took control of the castle. It was then given to a man named Philip Sidney. He later gave the castle and a large area of land (about 3,028 acres) to the poet Edmund Spenser. This happened around 1586 to 1588.
Spenser fixed up the castle and lived there for ten years. During this time, he wrote many famous works. His most well-known work is a long poem called The Faerie Queene. This poem was inspired by the events of the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was also influenced by the wild and beautiful scenery of Munster where he lived. He also wrote other important works like A View of the Present State of Irelande, Epithalamion, the Amoretti sonnet sequence, and Colin Clouts Come Home Againe.
Destruction and Abandonment
In 1598, during a conflict known as the Nine Years' War, Kilcolman Castle was attacked. The forces of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone destroyed it. Spenser managed to escape the attack.
His son, Sylvanus, later rebuilt Kilcolman Castle. However, it was destroyed again in 1622. After this second destruction, the castle was left in ruins and was never rebuilt.
What Kilcolman Castle Looked Like
Kilcolman Castle is a typical tower house from the late Middle Ages. It had a bawn, which is a strong outer wall that protected the castle courtyard.
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The castle was four storeys (or floors) tall. Inside, it had several rooms. These included a basement, a parlour (a sitting room), an armoury (where weapons were kept), a privy (a toilet), a small chapel, a study, and private living rooms.
