Kiltinan Castle Explained

Kiltinan Castle is a castle near Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland.^[1]

History and architecture

Kiltinan is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland, having been built in the thirteenth century.^{[2] [3]} 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,^[4] its dovecote (pigeon house) which dates from the fifteenth century,^[5] its Sheila-na-Gig stone,^[6] and its pet graveyard, which dates to the early twentieth century.^[7]

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.^{[2] [8] [9]}

Following the bombardment, Kiltinan was extensively remodelled by the Cooke family in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.^[10]

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.^[11] 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.^[12] She also runs the associated establishment in England, Watership Down Stud.^[13]

See also

• Bulmer de Sales La Terriere
• Kiltinan Church Sheela-na-gig

Further reading

• Web site: Fighting like cats ... over planned pub . 18 May 2002 . independent.ie . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024194622/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/fighting-like-cats-over-planned-pub-306859.html . 24 October 2012 .
• Lord Dunboyne (1968) Kiltinan Castle, Co. Tipperary – A Butler Stronghold 1452–1650. The Journals of the Butler Society. 1(1) p52.

Notes and References

1. http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/cgi-bin/viewsite.cgi?siteid=1076 Site Fact Sheet. Kiltinan Castle
2. http://fethard.com/research/kiltinan_castle.html Kiltinan Castle
3. http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=TS&regno=22207019 Kiltinan Castle, Tipperary South
4. Web site: Kiltinan, Tipperary South.
5. Web site: Kiltinan, Tipperary South.
6. Web site: Ireland's Sheela na Gigs: Kiltinan Castle . https://web.archive.org/web/20100227144958/http://www.irelands-sheelanagigs.org/archive/index-13481.php.html . 27 February 2010 . dead.
7. http://fethard.com/annews/2000.pdf ANNUAL NEWSLETTTER 2000
8. http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/military/ireland-1650-kilkenny.htm 1650: The Siege of Kilkenny
9. http://www.traleetimes.com/files/HISTORY/CROMWELL1649.pdf 1649-52: Cromwell's Conquest of Ireland
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
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
12. http://www.breederscup.com/bio.aspx?id=3345 Kiltinan Farms
13. News: Bannerman . Lucy . Lloyd Webber rides to the rescue . 18 October 2021 . 1 December 2016 . en.