Gowran Castle

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Gowran Castle ( Irish Caisleán Ghabhráin ) is a country house in the center of the small town of Gowran in County Kilkenny, Ireland . It was completely restored in 2013 and 2014.

Early years

The first Gowran Castle was built near the center of Gowran in 1385 by James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde . He made it his usual place of residence. He was called the "Earl of Gowran". In 1391 he bought Kilkenny Castle and much of County Kilkenny. He died in Gowran Castle in 1405 and is buried in St. Mary's Collegiate Church with his father James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormonde , his grandfather James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde , and his great-grandfather Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and 6th clan chief of the Butlers in Ireland. James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormonde, is called “The Noble Earl” because he was the great-grandson of King Edward I of England .

Settled long before the Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169, Gowran was an important place. The kings of Ossory are often called "kings of Gowran". The Mac Giolla Pardraig (Anglicized FitzPatricks ), the leading rulers of Ossory , had a residence in Gowran. Ó Donnchadha was the lord of Gowran and most of the surrounding lands. Place names such as Rathvaun, Rathcash, Rathcusack and Rathgarvan indicate the existence of Ráths , in which people lived, farmed and cared about their livelihood. Ráths were also burial places. Larger Ráths were called "Dúns". Dungarvan village (also part of Gowran parish) is another example of such a settlement. The existence of the 3rd or 4th century ogham stone on display in the historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church also suggests a 2,000 year old abode and place of worship.

There are other ancient sites near Gowran. For example, the church of Tullaherin, only 4 km from Gowran, with its cemetery and round tower from the 6th century was a settlement from the Bronze and Iron Ages , where Roman coins and other artifacts were found during excavations in 1948 and 1951.

The influence of the Butlers of Ormonde

The butlers owned the lands in the Gowran area for nearly 500 years. After the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, Theobald FitzWalter, 1st Baron Butler , was assigned 17.6 km² of land, the rule of Gowran. This was the first Butler clan chief in Ireland.

More butler castles around Gowran

In addition to Gowran Castle, the Butlers had other castles built in the area, such as: B. Ballysean Castle (also Ballyshawnmore Castle, Ballysheanmor Castle or Ballyshanemore Castle ) near the center, Neigham Castle about 4 km from the city and Paulstown Castle between Gowran and Paulstown .

The Agar family

After the retaking of Ireland in 1650, Gowran was besieged by Oliver Cromwell's forces. Gowran Castle was attacked and badly damaged. For the next 300 years, the Agar family was the most influential family in the Gowran area. Several generations of this family lived at Gowran Castle, as did the Butlers before; many of them are also buried in St. Mary's Collegiate Church.

Lapse of time

  • 489 - The kings of Ossory - also known as the kings of Gowran - lived in the area.
  • 754 - Battle of Bealach Gabhrán (old name of Gowran)
  • 938 - Gowran and the surrounding lands were part of the old Cantreds Oskelan and Ogenty , part of the lands of Ossory. The Gowran area was inhabited by the O'Dunphy clans. The 'Mac Giolla Padraig were then the rulers of Ossory.
  • 1169 - After the Norman invasion, the rule of Gowran was 17.6 km².
  • 1385 - James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde, built a castle near the city walls and made it his usual residence.
  • 1391 - James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde, bought Kilkenny Castle and much of County Kilkenny.
  • 1501 - Margaret FitzGerald, Countess of Ormonde , had Gowran Castle rebuilt. She also designed St. Mary's Collegiate Church.
  • 1650 - Oliver Cromwell and his army attacked the castle and badly damaged it.
  • 1710 - Lewis Chaigneau , a Dublin merchant and owner of Gowran Castle, had the town and castle grounds surveyed. On the resulting map you can see the castle and the enclosed city of Gowran.
  • 1713 - Henry Agar had a new country house built near the Butlers Castle, using building materials from the old castle.
  • 1747 - After Henry Agar's death in 1746, his widow Ann offered her deceased husband's livestock, sheep, cattle and horses, at the country house. Colts and fillies were also bred with stallions from England. Henry Agar inherited the country house from his father James Agar in 1733 . Through his marriage, he acquired the Ellis family property in Dublin between Arran Quay and Phoenix Park . This property later fell to the Agar family. He died on November 18, 1746. His widow married George Dunbar of County Fermanagh on January 20, 1753 and died on April 14, 1765; she was buried 3 days later in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The administration of your property was assigned to her second husband by the Armagh Court on September 11, 1765.
  • 18th Century - At the end of the 18th century, many noble families had left Ireland and lived in England after the 1798 Rebellion.
  • 1816–1819 - Henry Agar-Ellis, 2nd Viscount Chifden , had the country house redesigned according to plans by William Robertson (today's building).
  • 1839 - The first Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland show the Gowran Castle estate with 338.5 acres of land.
  • 1840 - Lord Clifden built the Gowran Castle cricket club sometime after 1840. The first cricket match took place there in 1842.
  • 1876 - Henry George Agar-Ellis, 4th Viscount Clifden , (son of Henry Agar-Ellis, 3rd Viscount Clifden and grandson of Henry Agar-Ellis, 2nd Viscount Clifden) at Gowran Castle owned 141.52 km² according to the Griffiths Valuation Country.
  • 1900 - Ordnance Survey map shows Gowran Castle property, approximately 4 km², so lots had been added since the 1839 survey.
  • 1953 - On February 19, 1953, Thomas Derriq , Minister for Land Ownership , was interviewed by Mr. Crotty in the Irish Parliament about the properties of the Land Commission which was planning to buy up the Annaly property in Gowran for division. The minister replied that the acquisition of the 3,096 km² of land was in progress.
  • 1957 - Gowran Castle and approximately 27 acres of land were sold to James and Mary Moran by the Land Commission on May 14, 1957 . The Moran family lived in the country house until it was sold in 1998.
  • 1998 - On May 27, 1998, the country house and approximately 26 hectares of land were auctioned off to the public. The Tarajan Ltd. , an Isle of Man company owned by Northern Irish real estate company Alastair Jackson , bought the property from Kevin Fennely and Caitrona Fennely , b. Moran . After purchasing the property, Tarajan applied to County Kilkenny for residential construction.
  • 1999 - County Kilkenny declined to build 156 units on the property.
  • 2004 - County Kilkenny rejected the conversion of the mansion into a hotel and the construction of 126 units, 23 vacation homes and other buildings on the property.
  • 2009 - The country house, uninhabited for 11 years, began to fall into disrepair. The Gowran Development Association raised concerns about the condition of the property with County Kilkenny and local politicians. Additional concerns were raised at a public meeting to discuss the Local Area Plan for Gowran. After the meeting, County Kilkenny published a draft of a new Local Area Plan .
  • 2010 - On May 16, 2010 a fire broke out in the country house. Fortunately, it was soon discovered. The fire brigade was soon able to bring him under control. The fire had caused considerable damage, but complete destruction was averted. On December 20, 2010, the Local Area Plan for Gowran of County Kilkenny was approved. The development plan was drawn up together with the residents. The country house and its surroundings are designated as an area for "tourism and leisure". The area around the country house is also considered to be archaeologically important.
  • 2011 - After the Irish economy collapsed, NAMA took over the development of the country house.
  • 2012 - NAMA appointed Lisney to develop the country house. The development of the country house was publicly auctioned.
  • 2013 - The country house was sold. The restoration work began.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Freestone Hill and the Hawthorn tree . In: Kilkenny People . January 26, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. ↑ Imelda Kehoe: A History of St. Mary's Church . Gowran Development Association, Gowran 1992.
  3. ^ Reverend Canon William Carrigan: The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory. Vol 3 . The Parish of Gowran. Pp. 399-426. 1905. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. ↑ 1710 Map of Gowran . National Library of Ireland. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. ↑ Michael O'Dwyer: The History of Cricket in County Kilkenny - The Forgotten Game . 2006.
  6. ↑ The Property Registration authority (formerly: Land Registry)
  7. ↑ GAA man selling £ 600,000 castle . The Independent. April 18, 1998. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  8. ↑ Raging fire at 'derelict' Gowran Castle . Kilkenny People. May 26, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Gowran Local Area Plan [2010 - now expired] . Kilkenny County Council Online. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  10. ^ Naoise Coogan: Gowran Castle to be secured by council following fire . Advertiser.ie. September 24, 2010. Accessed February 11, 2019.

Web links

Coordinates: 52 ° 37 ′ 45.5 ″  N , 7 ° 3 ′ 49.5 ″  W.