County: Kerry Site name: CASTLEVIEW, Castleisland
Sites and Monuments Record No.: SMR 40:26 Licence number: 01E0391
Author: Margaret McCarthy, Archaeological Services Unit, University College Cork
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 500501m, N 610024m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 52.232959, -9.456638
Pre-development testing was carried out at Castleview, Castleisland, Co. Kerry, prior to the construction of a new housing development. The site lies just to the east of the constraint area for a ruined Fitzgerald castle. An application for planning permission to Kerry County Council was referred to Dúchas, who recommended that a detailed archaeological assessment be undertaken prior to any considerations of planning approval.
The first phase of construction of the castle was begun in 1226 by Geoffrey de Marisco. Ownership passed to the Fitzgeralds through marriage in the late 13th century, and it was subsequently to become one of their most important strongholds. It was completely destroyed during the various wars of the 1600s, and although it was partially rebuilt towards the end of the 17th century, it soon fell into ruins again. The castle was abandoned by the Herberts in 1687 for a smaller and more manageable residence. By 1850 there was just one square tower left and this still survives today.
The development site involved the construction of ten townhouses within a walled garden immediately to the east of the castle. An existing house on the property was converted into a mews dwelling, an apartment and offices. Trial-trenching was undertaken over a period of one day. Every effort was made to locate the test-trenches within those areas of the development where maximum ground disturbance was to take place, although their exact placement was dictated by the extant buildings and existing services on the site. In all, three test-trenches were excavated to a depth below the intended level of the foundations in order to ensure that no archaeological material was present. Nothing of archaeological significance was found in any of the trenches.
