On the Way to Purt Castle 3/5

Today I’m making my way to Purt Castle, just outside Abbeyfeale, County Limerick Ireland.
In Irish Purr castle is called Caisleán Phort Trí Namhad, Port Castle of the Three Enemies.
In English it is known as Purt Castle or Portrinard Castle.
It is built around 1420 by the FitzGerald family, the earls of Desmond, who came to Ireland in the Norman conquest. The Desmonds, from the Irish deasmumhain, meaning south Munster, became very powerful and built castles in Adare, Newcastle West, Broadford, Tralee, Glin, Glenquin, Abbeyfeale and all over the south of Munster.
Purt Castle was probably built as a wooden castle by Thomas FitzGerald, the 5th earl of Desmond, who lived from 1386 to 1420.
Thomas was the son of the 4th Earl, John FitzGerald, and when he died in 1399 the 13 year old Thomas became the 5th Earl.
Thomas, however, ignored the statues of Kilkenny, law edicts issues to make sure that the normans weren’t becoming too Irish, and he married Catherine MacCormac of Abbeyfeale. Catherine was from an Irish family and way below his station. The statues of Kilkenny forbade a marriage between Norman’s and Gaelic Irish, but Catherine was also the daughter of one of Thomas’ dependants, William MacCormac, the Monk of Feale.
Centuries later the famed Irish poet Thomas Moore would describe the ill-fated romance in his lovely air “Desmond’s song”.
Thomas fled to France, where he fought in the service of the King of Franc, and died at Rouen on 10th August 1420.
Thomas was buried in Paris “with great and mighty show, where the two kings of England and France were present.
Purt Castlebar destroyed on the 16th March 1580 during rebellions of 1579-1583.
An English army under William Pelham, Lord Justice of Ireland, came to Purt in March 1580 to hunt down James FitzMaurice Fitzgerald, but when he could not find him in the area he destroyed the abbey in Abbeyfeale and Purt Castle on 16th March.
After 3 years of conflict and the deaths of 30.000 people in Munster, a third of the population, the last Earl of Desmond, Gerald FitzGerald, wrote to Queen Elizabeth looming for a truce. His letter was signed; Abbeyfeale, 15th April 1583, Garrot Desmond. Unfortunately she did not acknowledge the truce and on 11th November 1583 Gerard was killed at the battle of Ballymacelligot, this ending the Desmond rebellions.
historicaltoursireland/
historicaltoursireland