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| RUINS OF DESMOND'S CASTLE, ADARE, CO. LIMERICK. -"Palace filled Adare" stands before us - the once splendid home of the brave and indomitable Geraldines. The castle, whose ruins are depicted above, was built by the second Earl of Kildare, in 1326, and afterward became a residence of the Desmond branch of the family. After the rebellion of the Great Earl against the authority of Elizabeth, it, in common with the test of his possessions, was confiscated by the English government. It was subsequently put in a state of defense and stood several sieges during the Parliamentary war, when it was taken by Lord Castlehaven and retaken by General Ireton. In 1657, Cromwell, for some unknown reason, ordered the stronghold to be dismantled. The late Earl of Dunraven partially restored it and it now forms a part of the estate of that spirited House, which derives from Adare one of its titles. The famiy name of the Dunravens is O'Quin, and a daughter of the ancient family recently married the young Knight of Glinn-the nearest collateral representative of the extinct male line of the Desmonds. The keep of the old castle has been partly renovated, and many of the walls and towers are well preserved. A deep fosse surrounds most of the fortress. Every feature of the architecture denotes its Norman origin. |
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