THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL.
| Number 44. | SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1841. | Volume I. |
ARDFINNAN CASTLE, COUNTY OF TIPPERARY.
In some of the recent numbers of our Journal we presentedour readers with views of two or three of the many strikingobjects of picturesque and historic interest for which, amongour numerous beautiful rivers, the gentle Suir is more thanordinarily remarkable; and we return again with pleasure toits green pastoral banks, to notice another of its attractivefeatures—the magnificent ruin of Ardfinnan Castle. This isa scene that must be familiar to many of our readers, for the travellermust have been a dull and unobserving one, who, journeyingbetween Cork and Dublin by way of Cahir, has not had hisattention roused by its romantic features, and an impressionof its grandeur and picturesqueness made upon his memory, noteasily to be effaced. Ardfinnan is indeed one of the very finestscenes of its kind to be found in Ireland, and is almost equallyimposing from every point from which it can be viewed. TheCastle crowns the summit of a lofty and precipitous rock,below and around which the Suir winds its way in gracefulbeauty, while its banks are connected by a long and levelbridge of fourteen arches, which tradition states is of coevalerection with the fortress, and which, at all events, is of verygreat antiquity. On every side the most magnificent outlinesof mountain scenery form the distant back-grounds; and everyobject which meets the eye is in perfect harmony with thegeneral character of the scene.
Ardfinnan is a village of considerable antiquity, and derivesits present name, which signifies Finnan’s Height or Hill,from St Finnan the leper, a celebrated ecclesiastic who foundeda church and monastery here in the seventh century, previouslyto which the place had borne the name of Druim-abhradb.Of this religious establishment there are however no remains,as it was plundered and burnt by the English in 1179; and thepresent castle was erected on its site in 1185, by Prince John,then Earl of Morton, of whom it has been remarked that heachieved nothing during his stay of eight months in Ireland,but the construction of this and two other castles, namely,Lismore and Tiobrad Fachtna, now Tibraghny on the Suir,which he erected with a view to the conquest of Munster.From these castles he sent parties in various directions toplunder the country: but being met by the Irish under thecommand of Donall O’Brien, Dermod Mac Carthy, and RoderickO’Conor, they were defeated with great slaughter, fourknights having been killed at Ardfinnan; after which John wasglad to return to England.
Prince John, however, or those under whose advice he acted,showed a considerable degree of judgment and military skillin the selection of Ardfinnan as the site of a fortress, whichcommanded one of the chief passes into South Munster; andthe castle itself was of a princely magnificence, and of such adegree of strength as must have rendered it impregnablebefore the use of artillery. Its general form, as its ruins stillsufficiently show, was that of a parallelogram, strengthenedby square towers at the corners, and having a strongentrance gateway. This gateway still remains, as well as thegreater part of the walls; but the edifices of the interior arein a state of great dilapidation, and only part of the roof ofone room remains. It is stated by the editor of Lewis’s TopographicalDictio