What is recorded here

Castle in Kishyquirk: a tall peel tower held by Ulick Bourke in 1597, still a castle beside Cloughnadrumone in 1655, and held by Ralph Wilson in 1718. Its exact spot has slipped from the land, but the names keep returning it: a narrow tower, an orchard, and a household that lived inside the stone.

The precise location of a castle in the townland of Kishyquirk has not been identified. Westropp (1906-7, 98) recorded the following details about Kishyqurik Castle; '1597 Held by Ulick Bourke (Fi. 6170). 1655 Kishiquirke and Cloughnadrumone "each a C[astle]." It is shown as a tall peel tower, and named twice in explanation (C.S. xxi., p. 42; D.S.A., 3, 27, exp.). 1718 Ralph Wilson held it (Dub. Reg., B. 48, p. 100). Tower-house like castle depicted on the 17th century Down Survey map of Clanwilliam Barony (Hib. Reg.) and on the parish map of Abbeyowney (NLI MS. 718). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that John Borke Irish Papist of Kissiquirck was the owner of 'a Castle and an orchard there' (Simington 1938, 87). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 3 December 2020

Ulick Bourke held the castle at Kishyquirk in 1597, indicating its significance in the regional power dynamics of late 16th-century Ireland. The castle is remembered for its association with the Bourke family, a prominent Gaelic-Irish dynasty in the area.

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