Kilmallock — Kilmallock

Historic town of Kilmallock described in the Urban Survey of County Limerick as following (Bradley et. al. 1989, 146-51); 'Kilmallock is a small town located in south Limerick on the river Loobagh. The town derives its name from a monastery founded by St. Mocheallog in the early seventh century (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 39). It was/plundered in 1015 (Ann. Inisf.) and it is recorded that Flaithnia O Tigernain, lector of Cell Mo-Chelloc died in 1027 (Ann. Inisf.). The early church site (LI047-019001-) has been identified with the remains on Kilmallock Hill about 1 mile NW of the town but the presence of the base of a round tower (LI047-022022-) within the fabric of the medieval parish church (LI047-022009-) of SS Peter & Paul suggests that by the tenth or eleventh century the monastery had moved down onto the low-lying ground occupied by the town today. It is puzzling, however, that from the thirteenth century the main church of Kilmallock was dedicated, not to St Mocheallog, but to the apostles Peter and Paul. At the time of the arrival of the Anglo-Normans Kilmallock appears to have belonged to the church and to have formed part of the estates of the bishop of Limerick. It is the bishops then who were most likely the founders of the medieval town. This was not an unusual phenomenon. Cashel was founded by the archbishops of Cashel while Swords was established by the archbishops of Dublin. There are few documentary references of a secular nature, however, to give us an insight onto the organisation of the medieval town. The most important is a small collection of deeds dating, it would seem, to the close of the thirteenth century which are preserved in the Black Book of Limerick (MacCaffrey 1907). These deeds show that the street plan of the present town was established in the thirteenth century and they provide evidence for the existence at that time of defences (LI047-022006-), a cross (LI047-022059-), stone houses and many burgage plots. The importance of the town in the Anglo-Norman colony is indicated by the grants of murage which were made during the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and by the strong and impressive walls which the townsmen eventually built. During the later middle ages the town seems to have come substantially under the control of the earls of Desmond and the number of documented and surviving sixteenth and seventeenth century houses (LI047-022002-/005-)indicate that its prosperity continued into the 1600s. Much of the town's importance in the sixteenth century may be attributable to the fact that it was an outpost of government rule in the difficult times of the Munster Plantation. The three-day plundering of the town in 1571 by James FitzMaurice (AFM) indicates just how exposed the settlement was. The Elizabethan map of the town, which appears to have been prepared for Carew, provides a very good insight into the layout of the town in the 1590s and it has been drawn on heavily in the ensuing report (TCD, MS 1209/62). The street pattern of Kilmallock is cross-linear and is formed by two intersecting streets. Sarsfield St (formerly High St) and Sheares St (formerly St John's St) ran north from the intersection while Lord Edward St (formerly Ivy St) ran south. Wolfe Tone (formerly Water) Street was to the east of the intersection while Emmet (formerly Blae, and probably the medieval Blapatstret - see Maccaffrey 1907, 74) Street ran west. Other streets are recorded in the Civil Survey of 1654-6: Friar's Lane was the street joining Queen's (subsequently King's) castle with the Friar's Gate; Church Lane (modern Orr St.) led from the cross in High St to the churchyard (LI047-022010-); Common Cart Lane was immediately inside and to the north west of Blossom Gate and south west of the cross; while Crooked Lane has been identified as being the eastern section of modern Orr St' (Andrews 1968, 33). The series of deeds in the Black Book of Limerick (MacCaffrey 1907, 73-82) indicate that there were substantial number of burgage plots in late thirteenth century Kilmallock. The deeds themselves relate to some twenty-seven properties and specifically mention the presence of stone houses, including one belonging to Radulph of Kilkenny (MacCaffrey 1907, 74). It is clear from this reference, however, that the majority of houses in Kilmallock at the time were of wood. Houses of stone and timber are again recorded in the town in 1571 (AFM). Many of the medieval burgage plots still form an essential Component of today’s town and can be observed running back from the main street to the town wall. The Cromwellian Surveys list many of the properties in the town and their owners (Lee 1965, 151) while Andrews (1968) identifies the position of six castles and six tower houses by combining the information provided by the Civil Survey and Jones Elizabethan map. Many of the houses standing in present-day Sarsfield St. are undoubtedly 17th century structures concealed by cement or plaster and, regrettably, diagnostic identifying features are not always immediately recognisable. The well-known picture by Thomas Mulvaney, now in the National Gallery of Ireland, shows a number of such houses before they were plastered over. The best-known of these is the so-called "Sarsfield’s House" (LI047-022002-), which was partly demolished about 1930. Lee (1965, 150) suggested that it was called after a Sarsfield who was Viscount Kilmallock (Croker 1824, 77) but this title is not included by Leeson in his list of British peerage titles. In 1992 the town walls were described by Thomas (1992, 132) as following; 'W wall, 525m, from S gate almost to NW corner; E wall, 150m from NE corner and about same length at the church [LI047-022009-], which is also the N wall of the graveyard [LI047-022010-]; S wall, an isolated few meters in mid-section, now difficult to see. These stretches vary from 1—2m in height, cemented on top usually, and beyond them are lower remnants embedded in new walls. Gate —Blossoms, S, a tall structure with broad flat-topped central part and narrow slit window over high rounded archway, sufficiently wide for single traffic; one flanking tower survives, slightly higher and rounded (on outside); similar to Clock Gate, Youghal, prior to later 18th century redesigning (Fleming 1914, sketch 18 — considered by him to be 'scarce older than 17th century'; photographs — Westropp 1916 and Shaffrey 1975, 95) — this or another gate may feature on the corporation seal, dated 1585 but possibly remade 1720—30 (Armstrong 1914). Fosse — partly natural provided by R. Loobagh on E side especially in bridge area, and by lake to W; possible remains of fosse along N half of W wall. Other Fortifications—triangular earthen ditch and platform beyond fosse near NW corner, possibly remains of 17th century earthworks'. Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of upload: 27 September 2019