page_title: Desmond Hall and Castle
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Desmond Hall and Castle / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Castles of Munster: Desmond Hall (Castle Banqueting Hall), Newcastle West, Limerick The castle remains at Newcastle West survive as separate entities. This is Desmond Hall that was created from a 13c chapel, and used for banquets and entertainment. It comprises a lower vaulted chamber and an upper hall. It underwent further rebuilding in the 15c. The castle was confiscated after the Desmond Rebellions, and granted in 1591 to Sir William Courtenay. In 1598 it was captured by the "sugan" Earl of Desmond, but was recaptured by the English in 1599. The castle was surrendered in 1643 after a four month siege by the Confederate Catholics, and burnt. This is the first of a second series on the (mostly) hidden castles, tower houses, and fortified houses of Munster that I began in 2007 with castles in Co. Cork, and resumed this year in June 2009 to also include Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford (just to be awkward, some from Kilkenny in Leinster are also included!). As most of these buildings are on private land, I anticipated that access might be a problem, however due to the exceptional generosity and helpfulness of all the tenants and landowners I met, this was never an issue. Permission to photograph on private land was always sought before entering, and without exception, was always granted. Two books "The Castles of South Munster" and "The Castles of North Munster" by Mike Salter are the two main sources used for the historical and architectural details.
context_page_description: Desmond Hall and Castle, also called Desmond Castle and Banqueting Hall or Newcastle West Medieval Complex and Desmond Hall, are a set of medieval buildings and National Monuments located in Newcastle West, Ireland.
context_section_description: A castle was built in the 13th century by the FitzGerald Earls of Desmond. Local folklore also connects it with the Knights Templar, perhaps confusing them with their house at Askeaton. 
  By 1298, the castle had curtain walls and defensive towers surrounding the complex, with thatched houses, cattle byres and fishponds in the centre. Newcastle West was sacked in 1302 and destroyed in 1315. The present structure dates to the 15th century, with the hall and chamber built on the site of the earlier structure, and used for banqueting and entertainment. 
  In 1591, during the Desmond Rebellions, the castle was seized by the Crown and granted to Sir William Courtenay on condition that 80 English colonists be settled in the area as part of the Munster Plantation. James FitzThomas FitzGerald retook the castle in 1598 but lost it again the next year. It was regranted to Sir William's son Sir George Courtenay, 1st Baronet in 1639.
  In 1643, during the Irish Confederate Wars, the castle was besieged for four months, then taken by the Irish Catholic Confederation. They burned it and executed the garrison. The castle buildings were attacked by Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1645, and further damage during the Williamite war in Ireland in the late 17th century.
  In the 17th and 18th century the castle was occupied by the Mahony family, while the Courtenay Earls of Devon lived in Courtenay Castle; much of what had survived of the Desmond Castle was demolished in the 18th century to make room for Courtenay Castle. The banqueting hall was restored in early 19th century, a replacement fireplace being found in Kilmallock. By the 19th century, the Earl of Devon's agent Charles Curling was living in Courtenay Castle, and the Curlings bought Desmond Castle in 1910. It was burned down on 8 August 1922 during the Irish Civil War.
  It was owned by the Curlings until the 1940s. Later, it was used as a Masonic hall and as a cinema.
  The site was taken into state care in 1989, and renovation began in 1990 under the auspices of the Office of Public Works.
caption: View of Desmond Castle
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