Kilfinny Castle

Kilfinny Castle lies in the townland of the same name, in County Limerick, in Ireland.

When Kilfinny Castle was first built is unknown. One source stated it was built as a tower house in the 11th century, while others mention the beginning of the 13th century. All sources, however, state that it was built by the McEnery/Mac Einery family. The oldest part of the present structure is a 13th century hall house.

Apparently the castle was also called 'Old Court Castle' in the 19th century. The present name Kilfinny, an anglicized form of 'Cill na Fionaí' or 'Cill Finche', means "church of the wood". However, it is more commonly translated as "church of St. Finneach".

At the start of the First Desmond Rebellion, in 1569, Kilfinny Castle, then belonging to the Kildare family, surrendered to English forces in 1569. It was granted to the Billingsleys in 1588. It was probably them who rebuilt the castle into a fortified house during the Elizabethan era. Later it was sold on to the Dowdall family.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641 Kilfinny was besieged by Irish forces under Col. Patrick Purcell of Croagh. It was then owned by Elizabeth Dowdall (née Southwell), widow of Sir John Dowdall. She doggedly defended her castle for 40 weeks with a garrison she had raised, and she hung several of the besiegers during the fighting. It was only when a piece of cannon captured by the Irish at Limerick was brought against her castle that Lady Dowdall surrendered. It was the second last castle to surrender. 

What remains today is the vaulted ground floor of the 13th century tower house, with an Elizabethan-era tower on the northwest side and a bawn, with 2 flankers, northeast of it.

Kilfinny Castle is now part of a farmyard that seemed disused. It was freely accessible when I visited, but heavily overgrown. I very much liked the vaulted rooms.

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