Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle

The National Monuments Service's description

Beal Castle was another Fitzmaurice stronghold from the 13th century until 1783, when it passed to Richard Hare. In Pacata Hibernia (1633) it is called Beaulieu, and according to Richard Cox (1687) it derived its name from 'Beal-a-bo’. O'Donovan (1841) feels that this is incorrect and that it is 'béal meaning mouth or bay. This castle commanded an excellent view of the Shannon and the tide comes within 70m of it. According to Westropp (1909, 11) 'the tower had two floors under a vault, then another vaulted storey and a roofed upper room'. Today the remains of the castle have fallen and all that can be seen are its foundations. It appears as a rectangular enclosure that is enclosed to the N, S and W by a fieldbank. The enclosure measures 68m N-S and 62m E-W. To the N the bank measures 1.3m high externally, 1.6m high internally and is 3.8m wide at the base. To the S it measures .6m high externally, 1.8m high internally and 3.4m wide at the base. This enclosure would appear to have been surrounded by a fosse and an outer bank, but this is only visible at the NE and SE angle.
Thomas Fitzmaurice, 18th Lord of Kerry, realising during the wars of the 1600s that he was facing defeat at the hands of the English forces, decided to make his peace with Carew, but his surrender was not accepted and he became a lifelong enemy of the English Crown. Beal Castle was the scene of the murder of Maurice Stack (a close associate of Carew) in August 1600. According to Pacata Hibernia (1633) Honora O'Brien, wife of Thomas Fitzmaurice, was the principal agent in the conspiracy which lured Stack to his doom; whereas the Annals of the Four Masters gives the impression that she was a pawn used and manipulated by her husband. In 1581, the fortifications were destroyed by Lord Kerry himself to prevent their being used by the English forces.

The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 990. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 3 August 2013