Site of McElligotts Castle — Arabela

The townland of Arabela was known in the medieval period as Ballymacelligott East and West, the present townland of Ballymacelligott is the adjacent townland to W, therefore Arabela was probably the townland marked Ballymacelligott East on the seventeenth century Down Survey map of Trughanacmy barony. Medieval castle and church of Ballymacelligott depicted on seventennth century map of County Kerry (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/down-survey-maps.php#c=Kerry). Ballymacelligott Castle is depicted as a tower house type castle on the seventeenth century Down Survey map of Trughanacmy barony (Hib. Reg.). Annotated 'Site of McElligott's Castle on the 1841 ed. OS 6-inch map where it is depicted as a rectangular-shaped area outlined with a dotted line. Described in 1841 as follows; 'Bally Mac Elligot signifies the town of MacElligot, who was the ancient proprietor. The anonymous writers of a tract on the county of Kerry preserved in the MS Library of Trinity College, Dublin 1, speaks of this family as follows: Bally Mac Elligot distant to the east from Tralee about three miles has in it the ruins of some considerable castles [KE039-004----/KE030-016----], but it is chiefly remarkable for its name, which it takes from the MacElligots, a potent family in these parts descended from the MacClowds of the Isle of Skith in Scotland. They came into Ireland with Galfridus de Marisco, Justice of Ireland, and had formerly great possessions in this country. In the centre of the townland of Arrabella in this parish are the ruins of a castle called MacElligot's Castle. Nothing remains of it at present but traces of the foundations, and a portion of one wall thirty feet [10m] in length and about twelve feet [4m] in height at the south-east corner' (O'Donovan 1983, 64). McElligott's castle site described in 1987 by the Castleisland District Archaeological Survey as; 'extensive earthworks are visible which may indicate foundations with it. These appear to contain some stone. The overall length of the earthworks measures 65.4m N-S' (SMR file). Faint traces of a rectangular-shaped earthwork marking site of castle visible on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13. See attached depiction of Ballymacelligott Castle taken from Down Survey map of Trughanacmy barony and castle and church shown on the map of County Kerry and Google Earth orthoimages. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 26 May 2022