Letters on the Antiquities of County Clare, 1835 by Eugene O’Curry
transcribed and edited by Brían Ó Dálaigh

Letter III: Castles between Kilkee and Carrigaholt; Carrick Island, Co. Kerry

Letter from Mr Eugene Curry to George Smith Esq. College Green, Dublin.

Lunatic Asylum Limerick

14 July 1835.

My dear Sir,

The wetness of the weather confining me to the house from my ordinary duties outside. I am enabled to redeem in some measure my promise about the old castles &c. My letter of yesterday left me but the following few to bring under your notice at present.

Caisleán Dúinlice [Doonlicka Castle] is rather a small square building in full external preservation but gutted. It stands on the isthmus of a little peninsula which runs into the sea about two miles south west of Kilkee and eight from Dún Beg. Nothing could be more wildly secure than the site of this edifice. A narrow neck of land, containing about an Irish acre, runs out at an angle of about 60 degrees with the north eastern cliff. The point of connection being considerably narrower than the more advance parts, only about forty feet across on either side. It is well secured by tremendous cliffs, at least 500 feet high. The castle stands nearly in the middle of the isthmus, the space at either side well secured by a strong wall with loopholes and a platform inside. This place has every appearance of having been the residence of a freebooter. The enclosed space serving the purpose of turning out the cattle captured in predatory excursions, the entrance being through the wall on the south west side. A laughable circumstance occurred here some twenty years ago. A number of girls were milking sheep one fine morning on the adjoining cliff, when one of them, more inclined to be funny than the rest, contrived to get upon the back of a very large black ram. But he, not relishing the liberty taken with his royal person, made a desperate and sudden run towards the old castle and coming with all his force and speed to the point A (see slip of paper) in the angle of the cliff jumped across to B, a space of about eight feet with his afrightened burden holding desperately by his woolly back. You cannot conceive the horror of such a feat in the transit from A to B. The merry fair one was suspended over a fathomless, roaring gulf 500 feet below her. The place is called Léim an Réithe [Ram’s Leap] and is an object of curiosity with visitors at Kilkee &c. The woman’s name was Johanna Collins, I knew her very well.

Dún an Daill Ruadh [Doondoilroe] is another peninsula such as the above about four miles further south west. There is no reason to think that this place had a castle. The isthmus is well secured by an immense mound of earth and a deep trench running across. There is a range of foundations of small stone buildings running out on the very edge of the terrific cliffs on each side of the enclosed bawn. Certainly the inhabitants of these horrible abodes must have had stouter nerves than the gentlemen of our days. Indeed it is not possible to look at this place without a strong feeling of terror. This place was last occupied by Dall Ruadh Ó Mathamhna, probably Tadhg Caoch of Carrigaholt castle, who was also called Tadhg Ruadh. The ploughland of Tullig on which this stands was the rightful property of my grandmother from whom it was wrested under the damnable law of espionage by an ancestor of Peter Fitzgibbon Hinchy of Dublin to whom it now belongs.

Caisleán Chlachán sa Bhán [Cloughansavaun Castle] is another square castle like Dúnlice in shape and situation. It is now unused though ten years ago it stood quite firm and whole. It fell down partly in consequence of being undermined by money searchers. It is about two miles south west of Dún an Daill Ruadh.

There is no other castle from this to Loop Head (about four miles). Not until you come up the Shannon seven miles, when you meet Carrigaholt or Carraig an Chabhaltaigh, [Fleet Rock], which is a large square castle in perfect preservation and still inhabited. Its situation is low on the very edge of the water in an angle at the bottom of a very fine bay of the Shannon, which is here over 7 miles wide. This castle was enclosed by a strong stone wall on the north-west and south within which were many respectable buildings, together with a barrack and stables for a troop of horse. It is supposed to have been built by the MacMahons but came subsequently to the hands of the O’Briens. It was the residence of Daniel O’Brien, Earl of Clare, who fought for James at the Boyne &c. On a stone chimney piece in the second story are inscribed D.B. 1603. There are many curious legends to be met with here. The castle commands a fine view of Scattery Island and the Kerry coast up to Carrick Island at one side of Scattery. I intended to have closed my list of castles here but as I have touched on Carrick, I may as well speak of its castle.

Oileán na Cairaige or Carrick island stands exactly on a line with Kilrush and Scattery on the Kerry coast. It is a small island cut off the mainland by a very narrow creek or arm of the Shannon. It runs from east to west and in the little stream or esk, which cuts it off at the western point, stands the castle of Cairaig an Phoill [Carrigafoyle] as it is called from the following circumstance. This castle was the principal fastness of the O’Connors of Oighreacht Uí Chonchubhair, the barony in which it stands. Some two hundred years ago, the then lord of this castle &c. a young dissipated O’Connor, bartered his princely inheritance in a fit of dissipation for two beautiful diamond ear-rings, which he ostentatiously wore as long as the debauch, in which he had so deeply and unfortunately mixed, held. But on coming home to his castle, which was not included in the barter, he retired to his bed, which he kept for several days after. However, he soon recovered his wonted vigour and hilarity and having one day gone up to the top of the castle, it would appear, to look over his lost domain, he met his nurse there also musing over the sad fortune of her youthful ward. She burst into a violent fit of crying, which held for a considerable time and on her recovery she, in the bitterness of her heart, gave utterance to the following exclamation:

Uch mfada chreachsa air maidin gheal Dia Luain mar chidhim anfa ar an bfhairge agas cruas ansa tsín. Bailte puirt na carraige mar a buaidhtidhe an fíon air baillech rith re barraidhe boig do chluasa síos. [Oh! Long is my suffering on bright Monday mornings as I see a storm on the sea and hard and difficult weather; the home ports of Carrick wine coloured, just like the baubles from your ear lobes hanging.]

The unfortunate O’Connor stung to the heart by the deep felt agony, which the poor old nurse betrayed in her sudden exclamation, started to the side of the castle, tore the accursed baubles from his ears and threw them with a horrid yell down the dread precipice into a fathomless hole at the foot of the castle on the island side, where they remain to this day. Several years after an attempt was made to bring them up by means of a glass head and leather tubes. But the man who descended, having found them securely placed within the coils of an enormous serpent, retreated with such precipitancy that he broke his head, which together with the leather part of the apparatus remained in the hole and since it was called Poll an Leathair [Leather Hole].

Mainistir Lios Laichtinn [Lislaughtin Friary] lies at the eastern point of Carrick Island but not on the island.

Though I am writing about these silly matters to you, I feel uncertain whether they are anything being on what you wished to be informed upon. Will you please to write me a line saying what you wish me to speak upon next [?]

I remain, dear Sir, truly yours

Eugene Curry

Taken from NLI, Petrie Correspondence, Ms 792, iv, no. 373.