| Dysart Castle | |
|---|---|
| County Kilkenny, Ireland | |
 Castle ruins | |
  Dysart Castle | |
| Coordinates | 52°30′7.24″N7°7′17.56″W / 52.5020111°N 7.1215444°W |
| Type | Medieval castle |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruin, in need of restoration |
| Site history | |
| Built | 14th century |
Dysart Castle is a castle ruins and property just outside Thomastown in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
It is best known as the childhood home of George Berkeley (1685–1753), [1] the Irish philosopher for whom Berkeley, California and the Trinity College Dublin Berkeley Library are named. The property is currently privately owned and the castle in urgent need of restoration.
Located south of Thomastown, the site has held a medieval church, the castle, and other buildings. [2] The castle and church property are situated low along the sharp curve of the River Nore. The church was originally adjoined to the castle but the properties were eventually separated by 21 ft. Dysart Castle was small and considered "rudely built," divided by a stone arch, with an access path in the second storey leading into the church. Dysart's lands and structures were granted to the Priory of Kells by founder Geoffrey fitz Robert in 1193. The charter suggests that it was known as Dysart of St. Mo-Colm-óg, or Colman, meaning St. Colman was the patron of the place. The church and castle and surrounding property belonged to the Priory of Kells, until suppression in 1540. [3] Accounts conflict over whether Berkeley was born at Dysart Castle in 1684; he was, however, raised on the grounds of Dysart, his family home which stood beside Dysart Castle. [3]
In the 2000s, with a summary report released in 2009, archaeologist Ben Murtaugh conducted an excavation of the area with the support of fund from the Royal Irish Academy. Ruins of three stone buildings remain above ground on the property and are situated next to or close to each other; four periods of activity were identified with the site. The first period related to the Early Medieval monastic site and church, associated with St. Colman. This included a primary stone church and graveyard, a round house, two cross slabs and Romanesque architectural fragments. In the second period, the site was an out farm or grange of the Augustinian Priory of Kells (c. 1200–1540). This included an extension to the church, the construction of a tower house and the later phases of the graveyard. The third period involved the post-medieval redevelopment of the site, following the abandonment of the graveyard for burials and the church for worship. The church appeared to have been converted into an outhouse or barn. Furthermore, a long dwelling house was constructed to the south of the tower house. In this third period, the place was the childhood home of philosopher George Berkeley (1685–1753). [4]
Due to degradation of structures, Dysart is now considered a romantic ruin. [5] In April 2003, The Irish Times published an urgent appeal for assistance for restoration of Dysart Castle and cited the risk of "imminent collapse" following the emergence of new cracks in the walls of the castle; previously conservation work had been conducted with the aid of Kilkenny County Council acting for the Department of the Environment and private efforts. [6]
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the county. At the 2022 census the population of the county was 103,685. The county was based on the historic Gaelic kingdom of Ossory (Osraighe), which was coterminous with the Diocese of Ossory.
Kilkenny is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2022 census gave the population of Kilkenny as 27,184, the thirteenth-largest urban center in Ireland.
Thomastown, historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of historical landmarks in the vicinity. Visitor attractions include Jerpoint Abbey, Kilfane Glen gardens, and Mount Juliet Golf Course. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.
Callan is a town and civil parish in County Kilkenny in Ireland. Situated 16 km (10 mi) south of Kilkenny on the N76 road to Clonmel, it is near the border with County Tipperary. It is the second largest town in the county, and had a population of 2,475 at the 2016 census. Callan is the chief town of the barony of the same name.
Kells Priory is one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland. The Augustine priory is situated alongside King's River beside the village of Kells in the townland of Rathduff (Madden), about 15 km south of the medieval city of Kilkenny. The priory is a National Monument and is in the guardianship of the Office of Public Works. One of its most notable features is a collection of medieval tower houses spaced at intervals along and within walls which enclose a site of just over 3 acres (12,000 m2). These give the priory the appearance more of a fortress than of a place of worship and from them comes its local name of "Seven Castles".
Boa Island is an island near the north shore of Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is 16 mi (26 km) from Enniskillen town.
Jerpoint Abbey is a ruined Cistercian abbey, founded in the second half of the 12th century in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located 2.5 km south west of Thomastown on the R448 regional road. There is a visitor centre with an exhibition. It has been declared a national monument and has been in the care of the Office of Public Works since 1880.
The medieval lost town of Newtown Jerpoint is just west of the Cistercian Jerpoint Abbey, near Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located 3.2 km south west from Thomastown just off the R448 regional road. In the grounds of the privately owned Jerpoint Park. St. Nicholas’s Church and graveyard are in the town, where the earthly remains of St. Nicholas of Myra are said to be buried. Belmore House stands at the top of the town.
The tomb of Saint Nicholas is a slab effigy in low relief of an early 4th-century ecclesiastic popularly associated with Saint Nicholas of Myra in County Kilkenny, Ireland. While more probably a local priest from Jerpoint Abbey, it lies in the medieval lost town of Newtown Jerpoint, just west of the Cistercian Jerpoint Abbey.
Noughaval or Nohoval is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland.
Kilcurl comprises the two townland areas of Kilcurl Anglesey and Kilcurl Feronsby. The townlands are situated one mile (1.6 km) from its nearest village, Knocktopher, and located on a road to Carrickshock monument one mile (1.6 km) away and two miles (3.2 km) to Ballyhale. The village of Knocktopher is situated in the parish of Ballyhale, south County Kilkenny, in Ireland.
Kells is a barony in the south-west of County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny. The size of the barony is 155.6 square kilometres (60.1 sq mi). There are 10 civil parishes in Kells, made up of 167 townlands. The chief town is Kells.
The barony of Knocktopher is a barony in the west of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The barony is 46,765 acres (189.25 km2) in size. There are 16 civil parishes made up of 125 townlands. It is one of 12 baronies in the county. The chief town is Mullinavat and it contains the settlements of Stonyford, Ballyhale, Hugginstown, Knocktopher, and Dunnamaggan. The M9 motorway bisects the barony.
Fassadinin, sometimes written Fassadining, is a barony in the north of County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny. The size of the barony is 276.2 square kilometres (106.6 sq mi). There are 19 civil parishes in Fassadinin. The chief town today is Castlecomer. The N78 Kilkenny/Athy road bisects the barony. Fassadinin is currently administered by Kilkenny County Council.
Maudlin Castle is a tower house which formed part of a medieval hospital and National Monument located in Kilkenny, Ireland.
Thomastown Church is a medieval church and National Monument in County Kilkenny, Ireland.
St John's Priory, is a medieval Augustinian priory and National Monument located in Kilkenny City, Ireland. The Lady Chapel of the priory is now used as a parish church of the Church of Ireland.
The barony of Shillelogher is a barony in the west of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The barony is 36,684 acres (148.45 km2) in size. It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny. There are 19 civil parishes in Shillelogher, made up of 109 townlands. The chief town is Bennettsbridge. Shillelogher lies at the centre of the county, with the baronies of Crannagh and Kilkenny to the north (whose chief towns are Freshford and Kilkenny, and the barony of Gowran to the east. It is borders County Tipperary to the west. The N76 road bisects the barony. The river Nore flows through the barony. Danesfort Church is located in Shillelogher.