Restoration of Nenagh Castle’s ‘Keep,’ will be completed by June of this year, in time for a visit by President Michael D. Higgins, to the castle site. (Click on image for larger resolution.)
The Director of Services Marcus O’Connor and Nenagh Town Clerk Donal Purcell will finalise external works around the historic building by June 2012.
The visit to Nenagh by President Michael D. Higgins is planned for June 6th next and when the ‘Keep,’ is opened to the public, it will be an added attraction to visitors, when taken in conjunction with the Nenagh Arts Centre, Nenagh Courthouse, Nenagh Jail and other nearby churches in the area.
The tall castle tower which overlooks Nenagh town is by far its oldest building, indeed its construction in the early 13th Century laid the foundation stone for the future development of this area as a fine agricultural market town which today is the administrative centre for North Tipperary.
Nenagh castle served as the main seat of the Butler family until 1391, before they moved to Gowran, County Kilkenny, partially driven out by the native clan of the O’Kennedys and their allies. The family would later acquire Kilkenny Castle, which was to remain their main seat of power for the next 500 years.
The existing tower or ‘Keep,’ (Latter a strong central tower used as a dungeon or more usually as a fortress.) or ‘Donjon,’ (From the French word meaning a keep, a derivative of the word dungeon, still used in France to describe some medieval monuments.) was originally one of a number of towers interspersed inside the curtain wall of the castle complex.
The existing 100ft high x 55 ft external diameter tower being restored and today known as Nenagh Castle or locally “Nenagh Round,” used to be attached to a curtain wall which surrounded a five-sided courtyard. Today most of this fortified enclosures curtain walls, have gone, but isolated parts do still remain.
I didn’t know President Michael D. Higgins was coming to the county until I read it in Thurles Info. If people log in to T.I. every morning they are ahead of the posse.
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Ádh mór !!
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