Castlehyde () is a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

and estate, slightly west of

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, Ireland. The estate's manor house, Castlehyde House, had been the

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

Douglas Hyde Douglas Ross Hyde (; 17 January 1860 – 12 July 1949), known as (), was an Irish academic, linguist, scholar of the Irish language, politician, and diplomat who served as the first president of Ireland from June 1938 to June 1945. He was a l ...

's family and is one of several houses owned by

Irish dancer Irish dance refers to the traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, including both solo and group dance forms, for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance has evolved over centuries and is believed to have its roots i ...

Michael Flatley Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an American former professional performer and choreographer of Irish dance. Flatley is credited with reinventing traditional Irish dance by incorporating new rhythms, syncopation, and upper body movem ...

. 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Fermoy and the historical barony of

Condons and Clangibbon Condons and Clangibbon () is a historical barony in County Cork, Ireland. Etymology Condons and Clangibbon takes its name two ruling Norman-Irish families: Condons or Cauntons (''Condún''), and the FitzGibbons or White Knight. Geography ...

. 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, to command and defend strategic points ...

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 FitzGerald dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies, ...

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 ( meaning Earl of South Munster) is a title of nobility created by the English monarch in the peerage of Ireland. The title has been created four times. It was first awarded in 1329 to Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond, Maur ...

, 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 usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

was constructed for the Hyde family, close to the site of the earlier tower house. These initial works were completed, , by architect

Davis Ducart Davis Ducart (active from c. 1761, died 1780/81), was an architect and engineer in Ireland in the 1760s and 1770s. He designed several large buildings and engineering projects. He had associations with the canal builders of the time and the mining ...

. 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

and

Imokilly Imokilly () is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Youghal. It is one of 24 baronies in the county of Cork. Other neighbouring baronies include Barrymore to the west (whose chief town is ...

and Clanwilliam,

Eliogarty Eliogarty (Irish language, Irish: ''Éile Uí Fhógarta'') is a Barony (Ireland), barony in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Thurles. The ...

and Middlethird in

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, 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".

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

History

Further reading

References

External links