Kiltinan Castle

History and architecture

Kiltinan is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland, having been built in the thirteenth century. The castle stands upon an eminence of limestone rock and overlooks the Clashawley River.

Features of the castle demesne include the castellated gateway at its main entrance, its dovecote (pigeon house) which dates from the fifteenth century, its Sheila-na-Gig stone, and its pet graveyard, which dates to the early twentieth century.

Owners

The first known inhabitants were the Butler family, of the branch which held the title Baron Dunboyne, and it was held by them until the 17th century, during the Cromwellian invasion into Ireland when the castle was attacked by Cromwell on 13 February 1650.

Following the bombardment, Kiltinan was extensively remodelled by the Cooke family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The castle was first established as a racehorse stud farm in 1918, when it was bought by Capt. F.J.B. De Sales La Terriere, M.F.H. Although he was a British army officer, the castle was then a safe-house for the IRA during the Irish War of Independence and Kiltinan sometimes provided hospitality for British officers and fugitive rebels in turn. The captain's wife Joan de Sales La Terriere was a well-known horsewoman and socialite.

The stud farm which is attached to the castle is now run by Madeleine Gurdon, the wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber. She also runs the associated establishment in England, Watership Down Stud.

References

References

1. [http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/cgi-bin/viewsite.cgi?siteid=1076 Site Fact Sheet. Kiltinan Castle], [[National Inventory of Architectural Heritage]], Ireland
2. [http://fethard.com/research/kiltinan_castle.html Kiltinan Castle]. Fethard.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
3. [http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=TS&regno=22207019 Kiltinan Castle, Tipperary South], National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Ireland
4. "Kiltinan, Tipperary South".
5. "Kiltinan, Tipperary South".
6. "Ireland's Sheela na Gigs: Kiltinan Castle".
7. [http://fethard.com/annews/2000.pdf ANNUAL NEWSLETTTER 2000]. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
8. [http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/military/ireland-1650-kilkenny.htm 1650: The Siege of Kilkenny] {{Webarchive. link. (2 March 2012 . British-civil-wars.co.uk (2008-02-23). Retrieved on 2011-05-14.)
9. [http://www.traleetimes.com/files/HISTORY/CROMWELL1649.pdf 1649-52: Cromwell's Conquest of Ireland] {{webarchive. link. (2011-07-17 , Tralee Times)
10. [http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=TS&regno=22207019 Kiltinan Castle, Tipperary South: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage]. Buildingsofireland.ie. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
11. [http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/life-piles-of-the-rich-and-famous-why-a-celebs-home-is-their-castle-346615.html Life Piles of the Rich & Famous], Irish Independent
12. link. (2010-12-14 . Breederscup.com. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.)
13. (1 December 2016). "Lloyd Webber rides to the rescue".