What is recorded here

Brewsterfield hid a 17th-century ironworks that the O'Donaghoes destroyed in 1696, leaving Sir Francis Brewster's son barely escaping death. The site reappeared in 1756 when a company mixed imported English ore with local ore and proposed navigating the River Laune to carry the heavy burden by boat instead of horseback.

McCracken (1957, 130) recorded the following details about 17th century ironworks in Killarney, the precise location of which within the townland of Brewsterfield has not been identified; 'Killarney Town. Brewsters Fields townland, OS 66. Owned in 1693 by Sir Francis Brewster, land purchased in time of Charles II. A local rising in 1696 by the O'Donaghoes destroyed the works and Brewster's son was nearly strangled by an O'Donaghoe 'with my cravat and his Irish thumbs.' In 1698 Brewster applied for some of Sir Valentine Brown's land, which was intermixed with his own. He stated that the wood on Brown's estate would be helpful in rebuilding his iron works. In 1756 the works were being run by a company using some imported English ore which was mixed with local ore. A proposal was made to make the River Laune navigable from Castlemain harbour to bring ore all the way by boat instead of on horseback'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 23 June 2022

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