Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
The beer garden, Kingston's bar |
Killorglin Castle:
Castle Conway:
Capt. Jenkin's son
Jenkin Conway
built a new castle here after 1613
and re-named it "Castle Conway".
Castle Conway passed by marriage to
Robert Blennerhassett
around 1660.
The castle was in ruins as at 1682.
Avice Conway
was buried 1683 in the Chapel
at Castle Conway.
The new Castle Conway:
The Blennerhassetts, probably in the time of
John Blennerhassett, "Black Jack"
(1690s to 1730s)
built a fine new residence there.
Elizabeth Cross
was buried 1732 in the Chapel
at Castle Conway.
Castle Conway was
inherited by Conway Blennerhassett.
Page 70
of
[Smith, 1756]
says Killorglin church was then "in ruins".
Castle Conway was
inherited by Harman Blennerhassett in 1792.
He sold it
to 1st Baron Ventry in 1795.
Castle Conway is still intact on
1829 to 1842 map.
Demolished in 1820s-40s:
Castle Conway was largely demolished by 1848.
The site is mostly cleared
by time of
1887 to 1913 map,
except for one wall.
Wall survives today:
One old ruined wall (on the S side) survives today.
It is on high ground, on the inside of an urban block, hidden from the street behind buildings.
It is accessible through
Kingston's bar
on Market St.
See
street view.
In 2010 the area in front of the wall (to the N side) opened as the
beer garden
and live music venue
of Kingston's bar.
Castle Conway on the map of
[Griffiths Valuation].
Looks like it still exists, though we know it was largely demolished by 1848,
so the map might be out of date.
Ordnance Survey of Ireland map.
Date created: 1894.
Date issued: 1895.
From here.
Castle Conway is gone.
All that survives is a ruined wall on the S side of the site (above "LOWER").
"Church" is the Church of Ireland church built 1816.
On the
modern map
slightly less survives.
See
also
Google Maps.
See 2000 photo
from the S side.
See
street view
from the S side.
The remaining ruined wall of Castle Conway, from a distance.
Photo 2000.
See larger
and full size.
The remaining ruined wall of Castle Conway.
Photo 2000.
See larger
and full size.
See other shot.
Photos from 2010 album at Kingston's bar on Facebook.
It is unclear where this chapel was:
Castle Conway on
p.148
of
[Smith, 1756].
Transcription of the Conway-Blennerhassett tomb.
Smith makes an error in the reading of the tomb.
He has Black Jack's mother Avice Conway dying in 1663.
But the original Ms of "Black Jack's Book", by her son, clearly shows she died in 1683.
Transcript of the memorial
written in transcript of
"Black Jack's Book"
by Mary Agnes Hickson.
From
p.55
of
[Hickson, 1872].
She repeats the "1663" error from Smith,
rather than copying down what was on the Ms of "Black Jack's Book" in front of her,
which clearly says 1683.
This "1663" error is still circulating today.
Hickson in Kerry Evening Post,
24 Mar 1897,
makes clear that she did not see the inscription herself.
She says the inscription is both in [Smith, 1756]
and in "Black Jack's Book".
It is clear she just copied it from Smith instead of either seeing it, or copying it from Black Jack.
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