Castlematrix

93 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Castlematrix, from 65 m² to 88,488 m² (8.85 ha, 21.87 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 44 neighbouring parcels touch it.

Download the townland: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings; GeoJSON or KML.

• R2Existing Residential (Existing residential)
  Rathkeale Local Area Plan 2023-2029, Limerick · 10 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• P1Agriculture
  Rathkeale Local Area Plan 2023-2029, Limerick · 5 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• R3Residential Serviced Sites (Residential, mixed residential and other uses)
  Rathkeale Local Area Plan 2023-2029, Limerick · 1 parcels The zoning objective in the plan
• G5Open Space and Recreation (Mixed/general 'green'/recreation/conservation, other)
  Rathkeale Local Area Plan 2023-2029, Limerick · 0 parcels The zoning objective in the plan

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 1 Jun 2022N/a

  the construction of footpath link in the field adjoining L6158 Castlematrix Road for a distance of 100m from its junction with the R523, including public lighting improvements, fencing and landscaping

  Permission · Limerick County Council, 228008

• 14 Jun 2021N/a

  installation of a prefabricated 'pod' unit to be used as a facility for serving teas, coffees and ancillary snacks to go with all associated site works. The works as listed are located within the curtilage of a Protected Structure

  Permission · Limerick County Council, 21837

• 27 Apr 2021N/a

  installation of a prefabricated 'pod' unit to be used as a facility for serving teas, coffees and ancillary snack to go with all associated site works. The works as listed are located within the curtilage of a Protected Structure

  Permission · Limerick County Council, 21546

• 2 Aug 2018Conditional

  existing dwelling and garage as constructed and Planning Permission to complete works granted under PP 05/333, namely installation of wastewater treatment system, percolation area, entrance and all associated site works

  Retention, 1 home · Limerick County Council, 18780

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Castlematrix.

Recorded monuments

• LI029-016 Enclosure
  Description

  On undulating pasture 250m W of townland boundary with Courtmatrix and 2km SW of Rathkeale. The ringfort known as the Rath of Rathkeale (LI029-031007-) is located 1400m to ENE. The site is not depicted on the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map nor is it on the 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch map. The site is not visible on the OSi orthoimage taken 2005-12 or on the Digital Globe orthoimages taken 2011-2013. The ‘enclosure’ was identified by the Limerick City Archaeologist Celie O’Rahilly in 1990 during fieldwork associated with the construction of the Rathkeale bypass. The site has subsequently been developed for housing. A map prepared by O’Rahilly suggested that an enclosure (Site B ext. diam. c. 35m) occupied the site. The location is visible on the Google Earth orthoimage taken 28/06/2018. The Google Earth orthoimage reveals three small cropmark enclosures (ext. diam. c. 10m) and other associated cropmark features 160m S of the enclosure (LI029-016----). These sites roughly overlap with a kiln marked on the 1840 ed. OSi 6-inch map. See attached extract from a report by Celie O’Rahilly1990 and Google Earth orthoimages Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan Date of upload: 24 September 2020

• LI029-021 Castle - tower house
  Description

  Westropp (1906-7, 214) recorded the following details on Castle Matrix; ‘1487 James ninth Earl of Desmond, murdered by his servants in Caslan Mattras (Len., p. 68), called Courtmattress, 1488. 1580 N. f. William held Matrascourte (Matrackscourt) C[astle], on the Deel, on Nekraghe, in Rathkealy (Peyton, 164; Inq. Exch., 10, 11). 1588 Granted to Billingsley (Fi. 5171, Carew i., p. 450); and 1608 to Sir J. Dowdall, of Pilltown, with the Courts-Barron, and the Abbey [LI029-031006-] (Pat. R. and Inq. Chan., 15a). 1616 Held by Edm. Southwell (Exchr. Lease, 32). 1642 Besieged by M. Herbert, and surrendered (Dep., 1903). 1655 G. Matrix, or Court Matrix, with Inishgousee, the C[astle], orchard, and grist mill on the Deel. Edm. Southwell (C.S., p. 58). Traditionally a Desmond C[astle]. Fabric - It was repaired by J. Browne before 1840. The tower is 44 feet [13.4m] by 35½ feet [10.8m] outside, 60 feet [18.3m] high, with walls 7 feet [2.1m] thick. It is battlemented, and has four stories (O.S.L., 8, p. 186)'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 January 2019 See attached ASI aerial photographs ASIAP – taken on 04/03/2006.

• LI029-026 Castle - tower house
  Description

  The Urban Survey of Limerick recorded the following details about Glebe Castle; 'A three floored castle at the extreme south-west of the town (LI029-031001-). It is built of evenly coursed slaty limestone with long and short quoins; it has a basal batter c. 3m high and is roofed with galvanise. The walls and gables are stepped and the east and west walls have chimneys while the north and south walls have drainage chutes' (Bradley et. al. 1989, 225). Westropp gives the following details on Glebe Castle; 'A tower 21 feet [6.4m] by 13 feet [4m] inside, 40 feet [12.2m] high, walls 6 feet [1.8m] thick. It has four stories without vaults and was inhabited in 1840 (O.S.L., 8., p. 186)'. Compiled by: Denis Power Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 14 January 2019 See attached ASI aerial photographs ASIAP – taken on 04/03/2006.

• LI029-138 Fulacht fia
  Description

  Possible fulacht fia identified as 'Site A' by Ceile O'Rahilly in her archaeological report on the Rathkeale Bypass dated August 1990. She described the site as following 'Field near river. Fulacht Fiadh, possible. Low ground of Iris (damp). V. close to river. No mound visible.' (SMR File) Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 25 September 2020

Architectural heritage

• Bridge, 1860–1870 · Regional interest
  Description

  Two-span railway bridge, built c. 1867, formerly part of the Rathkeale to Newcastle West line, now carrying a road over the River Deel. Comprising cast-iron Howe truss bridge with latticed parapets supported by rusticated limestone supports on concrete plinths. Tarred surface to carriageway.

• Water pump, 1870–1890 · Regional interest
  Description

  Freestanding cast-iron water pump, erected c. 1880. Now disused. Comprising fluted cylindrical shaft, fluted domed cap with acorn finial, spout and bucket stand.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Radon

About 1 in 5 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

Susceptibility moderately high, moderately low, low, low (inferred), on the 1:50,000 map.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_553 (ZIP).

Flooding

The flood maps of the Office of Public Works: floodinfo.ie.

Radon Risk Map of Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency; Landslide Susceptibility Classification, Geological Survey Ireland; both CC BY 4.0. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

• Castlematrix, Rathkeale7 sales

Name

Castlematrix · Caisleán Bhun Tráisce

Area

926,982 m² (92.7 ha, 229.06 acres)

Civil parish

Rathkeale, and its townlands

Barony

Connello Lower

Electoral division

Rathkeale Urban, the unit of the census

Census 2022

Rathkeale Urban electoral division: 1,408 people in 544 households; 58% of households own their home; 28% of homes were built since 2001; 27% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 8% were holiday homes.

Neighbouring townlands

Ardbohil, Ardnaveagh, Cloghanarold, Courtmatrix, Enniscoush, Wolfesburgess West

Placenames

Castlematrix on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics by electoral division, Central Statistics Office, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.