Kilkea Castle facts for kids
Kilkea Castle is an old castle in Ireland, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) northwest of Castledermot, in County Kildare. It's near the village of Kilkea on the R418 regional road. For over 700 years, this castle was a strong home for the powerful Fitzgerald family, who were important leaders in Ireland.
Castle History
In 1180, a knight named Sir Walter de Riddlesford built the first castle here. It was a special type called a motte and bailey. This meant it had a big earth mound (the motte) with a wooden tower on top. Below it was a fenced area (the bailey).
Later, Sir Walter's granddaughter married Maurice Fitzgerald. This is how Kilkea Castle became part of the Fitzgerald family. They owned it for more than 700 years! In 1356, Sir Thomas de Rokeby, an important judge in Ireland, used the castle as a military base. He passed away there.
In 1414, there were some local conflicts. To help, the Archbishop of Dublin sent troops from Dublin. These troops fought and won a big battle at Kilkea. Later, in 1426, John FitzGerald, 6th Earl of Kildare made the castle much stronger. He added so many new parts that it was almost like building a new castle.
The castle is especially known for Gerald, the 11th Earl of Kildare. People called him the "Wizard Earl". He became the main leader of his family when he was only 12 years old. This happened after his half-brother and five uncles were executed in 1537. The "Wizard Earl" escaped Ireland and went to Europe for his education.
When he returned to Kildare, he got his titles back. He was very interested in alchemy, which is an old type of chemistry. His neighbors around Kilkea Castle found this very interesting. They even said he had magic powers! The "Wizard Earl" died in 1585. Legend says he returns to the castle every seven years. He is said to ride a white horse with silver horseshoes.
In 1634, the castle was rented to the Jesuit Order by the wife of the 14th Earl of Kildare. They stayed there until 1646. That year, the Jesuits welcomed Archbishop Rinuccini to Kilkea. He was a special messenger from the Pope to the Irish leaders.
In the early 1700s, the 19th Earl of Kildare decided to live at Carton House instead. Kilkea Castle was then rented out to different people. One of these renters was Thomas Reynolds. He was a silk merchant from Dublin. He was friends with Lord Edward FitzGerald. Through this friendship, Reynolds joined a group called the United Irishmen. However, he later became an informer. Even though he was an informer, the castle was still attacked by soldiers during a rebellion. This happened after it had just been fixed up. After Carton House was sold in 1949, Kilkea Castle became the home of the 8th Duke of Leinster.
Recent Changes
The Fitzgerald family sold the castle and its land in the early 1960s. For many years, Kilkea Castle was run as a hotel. But in 2009, it faced financial problems because of the Irish economic downturn. It closed down and was put up for sale in 2010. An American businessman named Jay Cashman bought it. Since then, it has reopened as a beautiful resort.
Shackleton Connection
The famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922) was born near Kilkea. His family belonged to the Quaker group. They had been millers in the south Kildare area for over a hundred years.
