Castlehyde ()
is a
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
and estate, slightly west of
Fermoy in
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, Ireland. The estate's manor house, Castlehyde House, had been the
ancestral home of
Douglas Hyde's family
and is one of several houses owned by
Irish dancer,
Michael Flatley.
The townland of Castlehyde, which is in area, is in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
of Fermoy and the
historical barony of
Condons and Clangibbon
Condons and Clangibbon () is a barony in County Cork, Republic of Ireland.
Etymology
Condons and Clangibbon takes its name two ruling Norman-Irish families: Condons or Cauntons (''Condún''), and the FitzGibbons or White Knight.
Geography
C ...
.
It is bordered by Castlehyde East (), in which Castlehyde House is located, and Castlehyde West ().
History
Initially associated with the Norman
Condon family, a four-storey
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
on the site is dated by some sources to the 13th century. Also known as ''Carriganeide'', ''Carrygnedye'' or ''Temple Iogan'', this tower house was in use until at least the 16th century.
Following the
Desmond Rebellions
The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster.
They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines and ...
in the late 16th century, the castle and its lands were seized by the English Crown from the then
Earl of Desmond
Earl of Desmond is a title in the peerage of Ireland () created four times. When the powerful Earl of Desmond took arms against Queen Elizabeth Tudor, around 1578, along with the King of Spain and the Pope, he was confiscated from his estates, s ...
, and granted to Arthur Hyde.
The estate subsequently became known as Castle Hyde,
and was occupied by the Hyde family for several hundred years.
A later
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
was constructed for the Hyde family, close to the site of the earlier tower house. These initial works were completed, , by architect
Davis Ducart.
Additional expansion works were completed by
Abraham Hargrave
Abraham Addison Hargrave (1755–1808), sometimes referred to as Abraham Hargrave the Elder was an architect and building contractor who was active mainly in County Cork, Ireland, in the late 18th and early 19th century. Born near Leeds, England, ...
, a Cork-based builder and architect, .
A Gothic revival church, built in 1809 by
G.R. Pain for John Hyde, is located to the north of the house.
In the early 1850s, the Hyde estate of over 11,600 acres, including land in the baronies of
Fermoy,
Condons and Clangibbon
Condons and Clangibbon () is a barony in County Cork, Republic of Ireland.
Etymology
Condons and Clangibbon takes its name two ruling Norman-Irish families: Condons or Cauntons (''Condún''), and the FitzGibbons or White Knight.
Geography
C ...
and
Imokilly in
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
and
Clanwilliam,
Eliogarty and
Middlethird in
County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
, was advertised for sale.
Documents in the
Irish National Archives refer to the sale of the Hyde estate, attributing it to "mismanagement of the estates by agents rather than to any faults on the part of the possessors".
At the time of the sale in 1851, Castlehyde House was occupied by Spencer Cosby Price, the brother-in-law of John Hyde.
The house passed through several owners, including members of the
Wrixon-Becher family,
and by the 1940s the building was reputedly "occupied by the military".
The house, which is a
protected structure, was purchased and renovated in 1999 by Michael Flatley.
As of mid-2020, Flatley was reputedly seeking to sell the property,
but subsequently decided against the sale stating that he was "too emotionally attached to Castlehyde".
Further reading
*
References
{{reflist
External links
Dancing with History: Carriganedy Castle, otherwise Hyde Castle (Castle Hyde), Fermoy, Co Cork An Taisce - At Risk structures - Castlehyde Church, Castlehyde
Townlands of County Cork
Buildings and structures in County Cork