What is recorded here

Rattoo Castle anchored the Kerry domain of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond and Lords of Kerry, until Sir Charles Wilmot's forces seized and garrisoned it in 1600. The earth has since swallowed every stone, leaving no surface trace for modern eyes to judge. What remains is a hollow darkness where human arrogance and military might collided, stripped of the usual marble proofs.

Rattoo Castle (site of). This was a stronghold of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond and Lords of Kerry. In 1600 Sir Charles Wilmot's forces took Rattoo Castle and garrisoned it. However, no surface trace of this castle remains today. The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 1003. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 3 August 2013

The castle at Rattoo was a stronghold of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond and Lords of Kerry, and was captured by Sir Charles Wilmot's forces in 1600 during the conflicts following the Nine Years' War. It is remembered as a strategic site in the English campaign to subdue the Desmond rebellion and consolidate control in Munster.

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