Dysart Castle is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

and property just outside Thomastown in

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

History

It is best known as the childhood home of

George Berkeley George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...

(1685–1753), the Irish philosopher for whom

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

and the

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

Berkeley Library are named. The property is currently privately owned and the castle in urgent need of restoration. Located south of Thomastown, the site has held a medieval church, the castle, and other buildings. The castle and church property are situated low along the sharp curve of the

River Nore The River Nore ( ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region of Ireland. The river drainage basin, drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encom ...

. The church was originally adjoined to the castle but the properties were eventually separated by 21 ft. Dysart Castle was small and considered "rudely built," divided by a stone arch, with an access path in the second storey leading into the church. Dysart's lands and structures were granted to the Priory of Kells by founder Geoffrey fitz Robert in 1193. The charter suggests that it was known as Dysart of St. Mo-Colm-óg, or Colman, meaning St. Colman was the patron of the place. The church and castle and surrounding property belonged to the Priory of Kells, until suppression in 1540. Accounts conflict over whether Berkeley was born at Dysart Castle in 1684; he was, however, raised on the grounds of Dysart, his family home which stood beside Dysart Castle. In the 2000s, with a summary report released in 2009, archaeologist Ben Murtaugh conducted an excavation of the area with the support of fund from the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

. Ruins of three stone buildings remain above ground on the property and are situated next to or close to each other; four periods of activity were identified with the site. The first period related to the Early Medieval monastic site and church, associated with St. Colman. This included a primary stone church and graveyard, a round house, two cross slabs and Romanesque architectural fragments. In the second period, the site was an out farm or grange of the Augustinian Priory of Kells (c. 1200–1540). This included an extension to the church, the construction of a tower house and the later phases of the graveyard. The third period involved the post-medieval redevelopment of the site, following the abandonment of the graveyard for burials and the church for worship. The church appeared to have been converted into an outhouse or barn. Furthermore, a long dwelling house was constructed to the south of the tower house. In this third period, the place was the childhood home of philosopher George Berkeley (1685–1753).Murtaugh, Ben. Summary of 2009 RIA funded project regarding Dysart, Co. Kilkenny. pp. 1–3. Accessed 29 July 2013. http://www.ria.ie/getmedia/81d654f5-2921-45f2-b824-99d212d3b988/Summary-of-2009-RIA-funded-project-regarding-Dysart-1-.pdf.aspx Due to degradation of structures, Dysart is now considered a romantic ruin. In April 2003,

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

published an urgent appeal for assistance for restoration of Dysart Castle and cited the risk of "imminent collapse" following the emergence of new cracks in the walls of the castle; previously conservation work had been conducted with the aid of Kilkenny County Council acting for the Department of the Environment and private efforts.

References

{{reflist Ruined castles in the Republic of Ireland George Berkeley Ruins in the Republic of Ireland Castles in County Kilkenny