Desmond Castle (Kinsale)
{{Short description|Tower house in County Cork, Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{use Hiberno-English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Desmond Castle
| native_name = Caisleán Deasmhumhan
| location = Cork Street, Kinsale
| country = Ireland
| image = Kinsale - Desmond Castle - 20080318152648.jpg
| type = Tower house
| coordinates = {{coord|51.7075|N|8.5306|W|source:wikidata|display=it}}
| pushpin_map = Ireland
| ownership = Office of Public Works
| open_to_public = yes
| builder = Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond
| materials = limestone, slate, red brick, wrought iron, timber, glass
| fate =
| battles = Siege of Kinsale (1601–02)
| past_commanders = Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond
| embedded = {{Infobox designation list
| embed =yes
| designation2 = National Monument of Ireland
| designation2_offname = Desmond Castle or The French Prison, Kinsale
}}
}}
Desmond Castle ({{langx|ga|Caisleán Deasmhumhan}}) is a tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland.{{cite web |title=Desmond Castle, Cork Street, TOWNPLOTS, Kinsale, CORK |url=http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=CO®no=20851013 |website=Buildings of Ireland |access-date=5 June 2021}}
History
File:Customs and Excise, Wine Museum, Desmond Castle, Kinsale, Co. Cork..JPG
File:Maurice Fitzgerald meeting and greeting at Desmond Castle, Kinsale, Co. Cork.JPG welcomes visitors.]]
The castle was built as the Customs House for Kinsale about the year 1500 by Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond, following the grant of the customs of the port of Kinsale to the Earls of Desmond by King Henry VII in 1497.{{Cite web |title=ArcGIS Web Application |url=https://maps.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/?SMRS=CL045-033006- |access-date=2022-10-14 |website=maps.archaeology.ie}} Presumably there must have been an earlier structure on the site as the 1st Earl was Captain of Desmond Castle.
It was used as a Customs House until 1641 when it was converted into a naval prison, following the construction of a new Customs House. The prisoners kept in the Castle were in the main French and Spanish, and the building became known locally as the "French Prison" as a result.{{Cite web |title=Desmond Castle, Kinsale |url=https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/desmond-castle-kinsale/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Heritage Ireland |language=en}}
In January 1747, a fire broke out, killing 54 of the prisoners. In 1791, the castle was donated by James Kearney MP to the town of Kinsale, and it was subsequently used as a town gaol till 1846, and during the Irish Famine as a workhouse.
In 1938, it was taken into national government hands, and much later, was restored and opened to the public by the Office of Public Works.{{Cite web |date=2020-09-07 |title=Desmond Castle |url=https://www.kinsale.ie/2020/09/07/desmond-castle/ |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Kinsale Chamber of Tourism & Business |language=en-IE}}
Wine museum
File:Wine Museum, Desmond Castle, Kinsale, Co. Cork..JPG
In 1997, the International Museum of Wine,{{Cite web |title=Desmond Castle International Museum of Wine, Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland |url=http://www.heritagetowns.com/kinsalelarge1.shtml |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907065115/http://www.heritagetowns.com/kinsalelarge1.shtml |archive-date=Sep 7, 2019 |website=Heritage Towns Of Ireland}} which details the links between Ireland and the wine trade, and is run by the Order of the Wine Geese, was added.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/south-west/desmondcastle/ Desmond Castle (French Prison)] information at Heritage Ireland
- [https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/20851013/desmond-castle-cork-street-townplots-kinsale-cork Desmond Castle] information at NIAH
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930010333/http://www.winegeese.ie/ Desmond Castle and the International Museum of Wine]
- [http://rumasingh.com/2017/12/04/we-were-inspired-by-wine-museums-in-rioja-barolo/ Wine Museums in Rioja, Barolo]
{{Historic Irish houses}}
Category:Castles in County Cork
Category:National monuments in County Cork
Category:Museums established in 1997
Category:Museums in County Cork