Old Kilmore Church Valentia Island Co Kerry

 

Above Image: Iron railing denotes former nave

                                         

                                          Above Image: View up the tower interior

                                             Above Image: The arched doorway

In the far Southwest of Ireland on the Skellig coast lies the Island of Valentia, a small but un-spoilt corner of the country. The Island not unlike Achill in County Mayo is very close to the mainland and is reached either by bridge or a short five minute journey on a car ferry.

It was on Valentia that we found the rather lonely looking tower of old Kilmore church which served its community for a short period in the 19th century.

It was built during the time of the Board of First Fruits, an institution of the Church of Ireland designed through grants to fund the founding of and improvement of its churches in Ireland.

Kilmore was completed in 1815. It was designed by James Pain and purposed to hold up to sixty people. Years later it became too small to accommodate the growing congregation and so a newer larger church dedicated to St. John the Baptist was constructed in 1860 within the island's singular village, Knightstown.

The old church fell into rack and ruin by the turn of the century after decades of dereliction until finally later in the 2oth century, the nave was completely demolished leaving only the tower as a sentinel to the graveyard it inhabits. An iron railing maps the outline of the now demolished nave.

The ruin is located just off a narrow road the leads from Knightstown towards the lighthouse at Cromwell Point. A small iron pedestrian gate gives access from the roadside and the tower stands on elevated ground within. It stretches three stages in height and is silhouetted against Kilbeg mountain in  the backround. We found the remains of an arched doorway in the South facing wall and within you can see right up through the tower to the now open top. The summit of the tower has a castellated design.

It's a lonely spot in a bucolic setting and the wind seems to swirl in circles around the tower adding to the feeling of solitude that exudes from the place.

To find the ruin, leave from the pier at Knightstown turning left at the Royal Hotel and then driving approx. 250m until you reach a fork in the road at the newer church gate. Take the right hand fork (which is School Road) and drive approx. 1KM and you will see the tower on your left. You can park off road at the gate. Alternatively if you are crossing the bridge from Portmagee take the R565 and drive until you reach the said church gate in Knightstown, then follow the previous directions down School Road towards the tower.

Old Slate Quarry Valentia Co Kerry

 

                                               Above Image: Old mining tower

                                      Above Image: Part of the road to the quarry.

                        Above 3 pictures: Quarry cavern with grotto visible in lower two.

While touring the back roads of Valentia Island our attention was drawn to a sign for the Valentia slate quarry. So we drove off the beaten track to be eventually greeted by the sight of a huge cavern.
The slate quarry was originally founded in 1816 by the 18th Knight of Kerry, Maurice Fitzgerald (1772 - 1849).  Its purpose was to supply materials for roofing and flooring. The excellent quality of the slate quickly gained a reputation becoming much sought after and word of it soon reached far and wide.  A dedicated pier was constructed in 1835 for the purpose of exporting the product and subsequently led to the founding of the small village of Knightstown. Both were designed by Alexander Nimmo, the Scottish born surveyor and engineer.
The slate has been utilized by among others the great London cathedrals and in stations on its underground system but also notably in the Paris opera house.
In 1858 one of the quarry buildings was involved with the transatlantic cable project.
Between the years 1880 and 1900 the quarry closed but reopened for a few years until disaster struck in 1911 when a huge rockfall ceased all operations. In 1991 a group of entrepreneurs reopened the operation and hired some Ukranian workers to work the mine so that modern generations could once again avail of this excellent slate.
When we visited there were one or two hard hats walking around but it was generally quiet. I believe that in season a tour can be made to some extent of the mine interior but this was not available on our visit which was unfortunately just out of season.
The huge cavern excavated from the North-Eastern slope of Geokaun mountain is a terrific sight and in the Marian year of 1954, on an upper crevice, two statues were placed to form a grotto. You can see them clearly in the above photos. They were reached by a ladder which now lies on the ground underneath the grotto. On the approach to the cavern is the lonely ruin of a tower which as it turned out was the only remnant remaining of the long gone machine house.
To reach the quarry, leave from the pier at Knightstown turning left at the Royal Hotel and then driving approx. 250m until you reach a fork in the road at the newer church gate. Take the right hand fork (which is School Road) and drive approx. 1KM where you will see the ruined tower of old Kilmore church on your left (see previous post here) Continue driving on this road for approx 1.6KM (be careful as at times this road is very narrow) until you reach a staggered crossroads. Follow the sign for the quarry which is straight ahead and drive approx 1KM and you will then reach the quarry. There is parking in front of the barrier at the cavern.

GPS
51.92354. -10.34278

Fethard Castle Co Wexford

                               Above Image: Part of the interior (now locked up)

                             Above Image: Reverse of the tower showing the belfry

The Hook Peninsula in Wexford contains many, many ruins and the small village of Fethard-On-Sea is of no exception.
The Castle in Fethard was constructed in the 1400's by the then Bishop of Ferns. It is basically an L-shaped fortified manor with a tall round tower attached at it's South East corner. The Castle is built on the site of an early Norman Motte & Bailey, the large grassy mound behind the Castle would attest to this. The Bishop utilised the Castle mainly as a summer retreat but in the 1600's following the reformation the lands and Castle were passed to the Loftus family, a well to do family of some notoriety who later moved to the creepy and isolated Loftus Hall further South on the Hook Peninsula. Subsequently the Castle was over time let out to tenants until it finally fell into disuse at the height of the civil war in 1922. Whether the war had any direct influence on it's abandonment is unsure, but the police barracks in the town was heavily attacked and burned.
The Castle today stands on a green area off the main street of the village. Truthfully we drove right past it first time without spotting it as it is set back from the road. The area seems to have been designed as a public park but although the grass in front of and behind the Castle where the Motte lies is well kept, the immediate area around the ruins is heavily overgrown with grass and nettles. You can still get fairly close to it but unfortunately access to the interior is prohibited by a large locked steel door. Parts of the North end have been fenced off probably for safety reasons but you can still see into the innards of that part of the castle. This particular section is in a very bad state indeed. The other part of the residence facing Eastwards is mostly intact wall-wise but as mentioned locked up.
The most impressive part of the structure has to be the tall cylindrical tower that apart from some minor damage at the top stands complete. On the topmost part and to the rear of the tower is what appears to be a belfry. Apparently at the ground level of this tower the section within was used as a dungeon during the latter Bishop's tenure.
All and all even with its limited access it is worth your time if in the area to make a stop in the village and take a closer look at this unusual edifice.
This may sound is a bit tricky but here we go. To find Fethard Castle Take the N25 from Wexford towards Rosslare. About 2KM along you will see a junction on the right for the R739 to Kilmore Quay. Take this right turn and drive for approx. 9KM until you reach a right hand turn for the R736 signposted for Wellingtonbridge. Turn right onto the R736 and continue on to Bridgetown and in this town take the right hand turn at the T-Junction with the pharmacy on your right and then after you have crossed the railway level crossing turn left. Drive for approx. 12KM to Wellingtonbrgidge  Cross over the river bridge in the town and turn left onto the R733. Drive for approx.6KM until you reach a crossroads with the R734. This has a sign welcoming you to the Hook and pointing left towards Fethard which is approx. 6KM along this road. When you enter Fethard look for a small parking area on your left which is situated directly in front of the Castle grounds.

Rathmacnee Castle Co Wexford

                                         Above Image: Lane way and bawn

                                 Above 2 Image: Views of the complete bartizan

                             Above Image: The tower, entrance and machiolation

                                   Above Image: Close up of the machicolation

                               Above Image: Entrance arch with modern dwelling

                                  Above Image: Inside the ground floor chamber

                              Above Image: Steps from the ground floor upwards

                               Above Image: Great fireplace on floor above vault

                                               Above Image: A garderobe?

                                  Above 3 Images The walkway at the tower top

                              Above Image: Steps leading to the bawn walkway


One of the nicer castle finds in County Wexford, Rathmacnee lies well off the beaten track down a lane way but is a must to make a visit to.
It is believed to have been built in 1451 by John Rossiter whose family owned and kept a number of castles in this area. They were disenfranchised of all their possessions by Cromwell in 1650 but Rathmacnee remained in use until the 1760's then afterwards fell into ruin.
The tall five storey tower is situated at the South East corner of a five sided bawn most of which still stands apart from a large section of the South wall. A modern house has been incorporated into the West wall and it is here that you can obtain a key to access the tower.
As you enter through the arched bawn gate you will notice a large machicolation above it which would have been used to pour boiling liquids and such down upon any assailants.
The castle and bawn are tucked neatly alongside an adjacent churchyard in a lane way. The tower on first view leaves a lasting impression as it dominates the site. The entrance gate leads you into what would have been the courtyard but is now a well manicured garden for the house. It is possible to ascend a set of steps just inside the gate on the right which brings you up to a wall walk on the bawn. On the bawn itself are two rounded bartizans one of which is incomplete. But by far the most interesting feature is of course the tower. Once inside you are confronted with a murder hole above the doorway, a set of stone steps to your left and a large vaulted chamber directly ahead of you. This chamber is quite large and covers the height of two floors. Above the vaulted ceiling is the stone floor of the third level which you can access. The steps from there lead all the way to the top and are steep and narrow in places. All the flooring above the third level is missing as is the roof. Some of the walls have mural chambers.
When you reach the top you can access most of what is left of the wall walk. At most times this is kept locked as according to the owners schoolchildren frequently visit and the walkway is not railed.
The top of the tower is crenellated and there are corner turrets all adding to the unique and decorative look. The views from up here are really worth the climb and from this aspect you can peer back down into the innards of the tower to the various chambers and fireplaces.
We called in here on a summer evening and found the owners quite friendly. We also had the castle to ourselves to explore which is always a plus. We were really excited by our visit here as there was quite a lot to see and the clambering about gave us the appetite we needed to tackle a dinner back at he Hotel at which we were staying. The site is a national monument and there is some information posted on the tower wall.
If you like climbing this one is definitely for you.
To find the ruins take the N25 Wexford to Rosslare road and approx. 2KM after the Rosslare road roundabout you will see a right hand turn for the R739 to Kilmore Quay. Take this turn and drive for approx. 2KM and take the 2nd turn right that you come across. Drive again for approx. 600m and you will see a sign for the castle pointing right down a narrow lane with a walled graveyard and the ruin of a recent church adjacent. You can park safely at the end of the lane.