Castle Blake or Farranshone (Site of) — Farranshone More,limerick City

Westropp (1907, 32) and Orpen (1914, 167-9) suggested that Castle of Blathac was 'stated to be near Limerick, having been apparently given to the citizens by John with other lands near the city; "forty" castles are named in the grant, as being in these lands; they left no trace known to us. It may have been the "Castleblagh" granted to Sir W. Parsons, in the county of the city of Limerick, and still known as Castleblake, or Farrenshone, on the Clare side of the Shannon'. Farranshone or Castle Blake was described by Westropp (1906-7, 81) as following; '1218 Walter de Lacy held the C[astle]. of Drogheda, the land of Armail [Ardmayle], and the C[astle]. of Blathac, near Limerick city (C.S.P.I., No. 835). The grants are equivocal, some giving Drogheda, Armail [Ardmayle, Co. Tipperary], near Limerick, and C[astle]. Blathac (lb., 952, 953). The citizens of Limerick granted to Henry de Londres, Archbishop of Dublin, 1213-1228, and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, a carucate at C[astle]. Blathac, with the C[astle], being one of the forty castles granted by King John to Limerick (Crede Mihi, lix. Lib. Nig. Alani, 579). Before 1248 the Archbishop granted it to Matilda, wife of W. de Mareys (C.S.P.I., vol. i., 2759). In 1624, Sir W. Parsons was confirmed in Castleblake or Castleblagh in the County of the City of Limerick (Pat. B.). 1633 Nic[holas]. Arthur held Castleblake or Farrenshone (Inq. Chan. 112) ; also in 1655 (C.S., xxviii., p. 83). It is not marked in Petty's map 63). 1666 Confirmed to Sir W. Petty (Act Sett.)'. Orpen (1909, 40-1) wrote the following account on Castle Blake; 'As to the site of the castle, in my ignorance of the locality I can only look for it on the map. It must have been close to Limerick and adjoining, if not on, the forty carucates of burgage land. It seems certain that these forty carucates, or some of them, are now represented by the "North Liberties" of Limerick, which have been formed into a barony by themselves. At the northern extremity of this barony is "Castle Park." This, however, according to Mr. Westropp's notes, was distinguished in the seventeenth century from Castleblake or Castle blagh. The latter was about the same time equated with Farrenshone, still the name of a disjointed townland here. Evidently the site of Castleblathach, if any trace of it be discoverable, will be found somewhere near'. Modern housing located in area where castle site is marked on OS 6-inch map. See attached 1657 Down Survey barony map of the North Liberties (Hib. Reg.) showing two buildings immediately S of the road leading into Limerick City. The location of Castleblake on the OS maps is similar to the location of these two houses on the Down Survey map. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 13 November 2019