Castle Demesne

Area

2,731 m² (0.27 ha, 0.67 acres)

Buildings

9 buildings touch it, 764 m² on the ground

Zoning

M2 Town Centre (Newcastle West Local Area Plan 2023-2029) The objective
G5 Open Space and Recreation (Newcastle West Local Area Plan 2023-2029) The objective

Townland

Castle Demesne

Planning applications on this parcel

• 9 Nov 2023N/a

  the proposed development that will consist of: Development of the West Limerick Tourism Hub @ Fullers Folly to include: Refurbishment and renovation of the Fullers Folly buildings (which is a protected structure, RPS 1488 & 1489) and courtyard, and change of use to commercial, community and tourism. Construction of a new building between the two existing structures. Develop the buildings and site to include toilets, café, visitor information, retail, viewing area, interpretation and open courtyard space. Develop a pedestrian link between the Fullers Folly courtyard and the riverside. Works to include all site development works for the buildings and site including utilities, drainage, landscaping and public realm. Improvements works to the entrance from Bridge Street to the Folly including provision of pedestrian walkways. In accordance with Article 120(1)(b)(i) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, the Local Authority has carried out a screening for environmental impact assessment of the proposal. Having regard to the information specified under Schedule 7A of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, and based on an examination of the nature, size and location of the development, it is determined that there is no likelihood of significant effects on the environment arising from the proposed development. Nonetheless, a person may within 4 weeks from the date of the notice, apply to An Bord Pleanála for a screening determination as to whether this development would be likely to have significant effects on the environment. Such a submission should be addressed to the Secretary, An Bord Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1. Limerick City and County Council in accordance with the requirements of Article 250(1) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (as amended) has carried out an Appropriate Assessment (AA) Screening and has determined that a full Appropriate Assessment is not required in respect of the proposed development

  Permission · Limerick County Council, 238017

• 23 Sept 2022Conditional

  the change of use of former public house to restaurant/take away with signage to front elevation and all associated site works

  Permission · Limerick County Council, 221033

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 this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 5 recorded monuments.

• LI036-067001 Historic town
  Description

  The Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 199) recorded the following about the historic town of Newcastle; 'Newcastlewest is located on the Limerick to Tralee road beside the Arra river in the south west of the county. There is a tradition that it was the site of a house built by the Knights Templars in 1184 (Lewis 1837, ii, 425; Westropp 1906-7, 232) but since the Normans had not even succeeded in penetrating into Limerick at this stage it can be dismissed as unfounded (see Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 330). The founders of Newcastlewest appear to have been the Geraldines who were already established in this area by 1215 (Westropp 1909, 43) and who held the castle as one of their principal strongholds until the fall of the Desmonds in 1584. The extent of the settlement in the vicinity of the castle is unknown but a rental of 1297-8 indicates that there was a hundred court here, from which it has been inferred that it was the site of a medieval borough (38 RDKPRI, 40; Graham 1977). The evidence is not altogether clear, however, but the settlement has been included here for the sake of consistency with the borough lists prepared by Graham and Martin. The south quay is mentioned in the sixteenth century when it was known as 'Shradegower' while another street was known as 'Shradenetona' (Westropp 1909, 57-8). Despite these references, however, the medieval street pattern is unknown. The present town plan with its centrally placed Square is evidentially of post-medieval origin. In 1586 the manor of Newcastle was described as ; ‘The site of the manor and castle [LI036-067002-] of Castelno alias Newcastle, which is built near the river Ewgarro [Arra] which runs into the river Deele and so on to the Shannon, with divers yards gardens and orchards, situate in the vill and parish of Castellno and containing 7 acres. Of these one parcel called Owlorde or the great orchard contains 4 acres, another called Gardenmoore or the great garden contains 1 rood, and other waste buildings and land contain 2 acres 3 roods: in all 7 acres. Divers parcels of land &c. belonging to said manor and castle parcels of the demesne lands of'said manor called the Earl's free land situate in the vill and parish of Castellno or the vill and parish of Monaghe Adare, and nor or late in the tenure or occupation of David oge Hubbart late constable of the castle of Castellno, viz:— Dowaley to En Parrick - Dowalley ½ quarter, Srade y Gurran being a street or waste parcel with tenements and gardens, Farren Merlen 20 acres, Clashymarla, Clashnaglogh, Ballyn Robert Roo 20 acres, LLohaduff 20 acres, Gorty Glegan, Tullagh Alym, Fearentynna, the vill and land of En Parrick or the park 20 acres, all which premises are in the vill and parish of Castellno. A street in Newcastell called Shradegower [Goat Street] with a tenement yard, orchard, and 8 gardens and with certain lands adjacent to the tenement. Said premises belong to said manor and castle, are parcel of the demesne lands called the Earl's free land as aforesaid, are situate in the parish of Monaghe Adare, now or late in the tenure of Edmund mcEgowre and contain 10 acres. A water mill [LI036-067003-] called Molten mcEgower built on a part or parcel of said street belonging, situate and in the tenure of said Edmund as aforesaid. Another street called Shrade netona with a tenement and two gardens and certain lands to the tenement belonging and adjacent. Said premises belong to the manor and castle aforesaid are parcel of the demesne lands as aforesaid, are situate in the parish of Castellno: now or late in the tenure or occupation of Edmund oge Gygheheyne and contain 10 acres. A parcel of land called Eanagh belonging to the manor and castle aforesaid, parcel of the demesne lands as aforesaid situate in the parish of Castellno and containing 9 acres. A water mill [LI036-067005-] called Mollyn A Cloghey alias the castle mill belonging to the manor and castle aforesaid, parcel of the demesne lands of the manor as aforesaid, situate in the parish of Castellno and now or late in the tenure or occupation of David oge Hubbert late constable of said Castle. A street called Garden y Lackagh with a tenement and 6 gardens, belonging to said manor and castle, parcel of the demesne lands of the manor as aforesaid, situate in the parish of Castellno and now or late in the tenure or occupation of Adarrey O Dowre. Another street called Garden ne hvnnev with a tenement and 6 gardens, similar in all respects to Garden y Lackagh except that it is in the parish of Monaghe Adare and now or late in the tenure or occupation of Ea mcDonnogho’ (Murphy 2013, 104-5). In 1654-56 the lands of Newcastle which were then in the possession of Colonel Francis Courtney were described in the Civil Survey of Limerick as containing; ‘a Castle a Bawne and other houses and stone worckes, having a markett once a weeke, a fayre once in a yeare an orchard on it, the benefit of a river running by the Castle; & the same with the severall houses tenem[en]ts and gardens thereunto belonging mearing on the South w[i]th Shraide Igower [Goat Street]’ (Simington 1938, 253) Compiled by: Denis Power Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 20 May 2019

• LI036-067002 Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle
  Description

  National monuments No. 636 & 582. Desmond Hall described in the Urban Survey (Bradley et. al. 1989, 201-08) as following; "An account of the castle in the Desmond Roll of 1583-6 gives a good description of it: 'One great castle, built of square plan, a chief house of the said late Earl of Desmond ... having at each angle of the same a round tower, with various places and chambers in each tower. And there is at the south corner, on the western side of the said castle at the south part, a high square tower or peel, built for defence within the walls of the said castle. And also there were within the walls of the said castle many buildings - namely, a large hall, a large room and an excellent chamber; one garden, and in the same two fish ponds, all of which buildings are ruined and waste' (Westropp 1909, 56-7) The castle, all sections of which are very ruined except the Desmond Hall, stands on a raised level area on the north side of the Arra river. It was built of roughly coursed rubble limestone and consisted of a large rectangular bawn with corner towers, a 'peel' tower, two two/three floored houses on the south, the great hall on the south east and the Desmond Hall on the north east. The enclosing bawn wall only survives in places along the south, where it is crennelated and has gun-loops, and along the east; elsewhere it is missing. At the extreme south-west there is a D-shaped turret, battered at the base and probably originally of two floors. It is now c. 4m high and contains one chamber with a narrow splayed slit to the east and a twin-light window with multi-cusped lights and rectangular hood-moulding with hollow spandrels. There is a similar single light window on the west. The chamber has been re-used as a kiln. To the east there is a circular tower which was originally three floored with basal batter but has been altered substantially internally. The only original features would appear to be one splay of an embrasure opening to the south-west at ground floor level and a loop to the north on the first floor. It would appear to have had a spiral stairs and a beehive shaped roof with wicker centering. The 'peel' tower is c. 11m high and had five floors with wall walk above. It has a pointed barrel vault over the 2nd floor while the remaining wooden floors are missing. The ground floor is largely filled with debris but access appears to have been from the north with internal stairs to the first floor which also connected with the building to the east. Access to the third floor above the barrel vault was possible only from the east and from there to the upper floors by a narrow spiral stairs (now blocked) in the north wall. The building to the east of the 'Peel' tower may have been contemporary with it as there is no sign of a break in the masonry on the north wall. The surviving remains are of one floor although Westropp suggested that it was three floored because be could see a roof line in the east wall of the tower but this is covered in ivy now. Two long barrel vaulted chambers orientated east-west remain on the ground floor; the walls do not survive above the vaults. The chambers have round vaults with wicker-work centering. The wall between the vaults is pierced by four low rounded arches - three of which are now blocked. The west end has been sub-divided into small chambers. Originally the north vault was lit by at least three narrow slits set in widely splaying embrasures while the south wall was probably similarly lit but only one is intact. Through the latter embrasure there is a vaulted chamber, divided by modern walls, between the south wall of this building and the outer bawn wall. It is lit by narrow slits in the bawn wall. The existence of a first floor is clear from the presence of a chimney breast and a pointed doorway opening into the tower together with a door in the south-east corner to the circular tower. To the east of the vaulted structure there was another two floored building which is completely gone except for a short stretch of the south wall c. 4m high. However, it is clear from features in the west wall of the above building that this building also had two barrel vaults orientated east-west at ground level which was lit by similar loops set in deep embrasures in the south wall. The first floor had a fireplace in the centre of the west wall and there was an opening on the north side of the chimney. The Great Hall This is located near the south side of the castle enclosure and is in poor condition. It consists of a single storied rectangular hall, oriented east-west with no evident internal divisions. The north and south walls survive to full height of c. 4.5m with wall-walk and parapet c. 1.4m high above this; the west wall is covered in ivy but seems to have a rather bluntly pointed gable c. 8m high while the east gable is missing. The masonry is of roughly coursed limestone rubble -no quoins are visible at present but there is a great deal of modern alteration. There is an external basal batter 1.65m high and 35cm wide on the south wall and on the south part of the east wall. The east wall for the most part stands only to a height of 1.25m rising to 3.5m at the north end; above this is a modern gable c. 7.5m high. In the centre of the wall is a large modern rectangular opening which partly cuts through an original ope with chamfered limestone jambs and sill; a similar ope now blocked with chamfered jambs and sill is located north of the modern opening. The south wall has four large windows; that at the west end is missing most of its external mouldings - replaced by a modern pointed arch - but where they survive they are of limestone, chamfered with a glazing groove. Part of a transom survives on the west jamb. The mouldings of the east jambs extend down to ground level, but those of the west jamb are replaced by the quoins of the batter 1.2m above ground (one side appears to be altered). The window is splayed with a round rear arch with double hollow chamfered mouldings which extend to ground level where they end in foliate sprays. The second and fourth windows from the west are rather broad twin-light double cusped pointed windows with an hexagonal shaped light above. The jambs are of limestone (although there is some sandstone in the second from the west) and chamfered with glazing grooves. The sills which are 2m above the ground are actually transoms suggesting that they may originally have extended below this or were possibly altered when the batter was added. Internally one is completely blocked up and the other much altered. The third window from the west is a twin-light cusped pointed window with chamfered limestone jambs and sill with glazing grooves. The heads of the arches, the mullion and sill have no groove and so seem to have been inserted later. It probably had a pointed rear arch now hidden by modern alterations. The wall-walk of the south wall was supported internally by dressed corbels some of which survive at the west end. The west wall has a splayed rectangular doorway, probably modern and now blocked, at the south end and a large externally blocked ope, probably a window, lacking its rear arch. Externally this is a single light cusped ogee-headed window with hollow spandrels and hollow chamfered limestone jambs. At the north end of the west wall at a higher level is a single light rectangular window with chamfered limestone jambs. The north wall has two large opes at the west end; that to the west was similar to the twin-light in the south wall although lacking its mullion and the tracery above. However, it clearly extended right down to ground level where there is a chamfered sill. It has a pointed rear arch with hollow chamfered mouldings, springing from small moulded capitals with cable ornament on engaged filleted shafts reaching to the ground. The ope to the east is now occupied by a modern doorway but may have been a similar window. Further east is a twin-light cusped pointed window

• LI036-067004 Church
  Description

  The precise location of the medieval parish church in the historic town of Newscatleswest is uncertain. On the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map the building now known as Desmond Hall is annotated 'Church (in ruins)' with the C of I church immediately to N. Westropp suggested that the C of I Church was built on the site of the medieval parish church. The Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 208) recorded the following about the parish church of Newcastle; 'Westropp (1904-05, 406) notes that the church was destroyed in the early 14th century but whether this was the church close to the castle (LI036-067002-) or that in Churchtown (LI036-024001-) is unclear. By 1401 the church, apparently at Churchtown, was in good condition and was dedicated to St. David (ibid). It is mentioned again in the seventeenth century as being sited near St. David’s well (LI036-187----). There is a re-used window head with cusps, moulding over a well in the castle garden; fragments surround a well on the external bawn can be found around the ornamental pond to the castle wall'. According to Westropp (1904-5, 208) 'There were two churches, one of late seventeenth century at Churchtown, near St. David's Well. The I. C. church "is on the site of the other," Order to change churches of Newcastle and Monagay to Newcastle, 1775 (L.M.H., pt. v., p. 176). The modern church was built, 1777, by W., Viscount Courtenay, who granted the site'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 20 May 2019

• LI036-211001 Country house
  Description

  A test excavation by Kenneth Wiggins (00E0342) ‘was carried out on 24 May 2000 along the southern side of the Ballygowan Spring Water plant, where a large new extension was proposed. Four cuttings were opened by mechanical excavator. These did not reveal any archaeological material. The development proceeded, and all ground disturbance was monitored, between 12 June and 12 July 2000. No archaeological features were revealed, although a well was discovered, which would have been associated with Cullenagh House (now demolished), which may have been built at the end of the 17th century.’ The above description is posted on the web at the following internet address: http://www.excavations.ie/ (accessed 24 August 2012). This is the record for the 17th century house. Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 24 August 2012

• LI036-211002 Well
  Description

  A test excavation by Kenneth Wiggins (00E0342) ‘was carried out on 24 May 2000 along the southern side of the Ballygowan Spring Water plant, where a large new extension was proposed. Four cuttings were opened by mechanical excavator. These did not reveal any archaeological material. The development proceeded, and all ground disturbance was monitored, between 12 June and 12 July 2000. No archaeological features were revealed, although a well was discovered, which would have been associated with Cullenagh House (now demolished), which may have been built at the end of the 17th century.’ The above description is posted on the web at the following internet address: http://www.excavations.ie/ (accessed 24 August 2012). This is the record for the well. Compiled by: Denis Power Date of upload: 24 August 2012

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.

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).

Ground and risks

Radon

About 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home

Landslides

No susceptibility class on the 1:50,000 map; parts are made ground.

Terrain model

LiDAR of the Office of Public Works, flown in 2011, at 2 m: tile OPW_439 (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.

Download this parcel: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program; GeoJSON, in WGS 84, for a map; KML, for Google Earth.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.