What is recorded here

Castle, tower house in Ballymacaquim East stands 18m tall with 2m thick walls, its missing SE stair angle exposing the vaulted second floor like a broken rib cage. Built in the 15th century for the Fitzmaurice family, it watched the land from Ballymacaquim East until Gerald Desmond took it in 1577, killing young abbot O'Torna at Lixnaw before returning the castle and prisoners to Fitzmaurice. The narrow slit windows and long W-wall fireplace suggest people lived there, heated that stone and looked out across fields where defensive mounds still shadow the ground.

Ballymacaquim Castle is situated about 2.5 miles NW of Abbeydorney. The castle, built in the 15th century, was an outpost of the Fitzmaurice family, and has a commanding view of the surrounding land. This tower, which rises to a height of c 18m, is incomplete as the SE angle which contained the stairway has disappeared. The castle is 10.8m long E-W and 8.7m wide N-S, with walls 2m thick. It was vaulted over the second floor, which can clearly be seen due to the gap in the wall in the SE angle. All the windows are narrow slits, except on the N wall, which contains a much larger window with a pointed head. The doorway, which is on the W wall, is quadrangular. A fireplace opening can be noted on the interior of the W wall. It is built out from the interior of the wall and runs the length of the W wall. In the field to the N and W several mounds can be noticed which may have been defensive features connected to the castle. The Annals of the Four Masters (1577) record: 'A contention arose between the Earl of Desmond, ie. Gerald the son of James, son of John, and Fitzmaurice of Kerry, namely Thomas, son of Edmond, son of Thomas, and the Earl took Bally-Mic-an-chaim (in Kerry) from Fitzmaurice. The young abbot O'Torna having joined the Earl, was killed in the castle door of Lixnaw, by a ball shot after the Earl had entered the castle, and had there been no other evil done between them than the death of that abbot, the loss would have been great enough. A great number of Fitzmaurice's people were killed and drowned the same day; they carried on this conflict for a considerable time, until at length they made peace, and Bally-Mac-an-chaim, together with his prisoners, were delivered up to Fitzmaurice, with an immense deal of kine and horses.' The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 1008. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 3 August 2013

Ballymacaquim Castle, a 15th-century tower house, was built by the Fitzmaurice family as a strategic outpost in the region. Its elevated position provided a commanding view, making it an important defensive and administrative site during the late medieval period.

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