Abandoned Irish Castle Whose Owner’s Head Was Served on a Platter
Today we head to Ireland to explore an abandoned castle that is central to both a humorous
legend and a history of conflict.
Grennan Castle was built by Thomas FitzAnthony, a Norman knight serving King John of England,
in the 1200s.
Thomas reached Ireland as a follower of William Marshall who was son in law of Stongbow.
He was tasked with carrying over Henry II’s treasure to the island and was later around
1200 granted a large land area named Grennan or “sunny place” in Gaelic.
In 1210 King John stopped by the area to visit.
Two years later Thomas signed a declaration supporting King John against Stephen Langton,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had been appointed by pope Innocent III over John’s
protests, which had then caused the King to be excommunicated in 1209.
From here Thomas quickly gained the title of Governor of the province of Leinster in
1215, which he held until 1223.
He then built a new fortified town to be a marketplace for trade on the river.
This town today is now named Thomastown after its founder.
The castle that we explore today, was a classic, if large Irish tower house, some 3,000 of
which once existed.
It was originally 60 feet by 40 feet, and sixty feet tall with 9 foot thick walls.
The one entrance was on the river facing side, and elevated from the ground at least six
feet.
The first story had two levels, one serving as a basement and wine cellar and three large
chambers with a stair to the second floor which led to a trapped door that could be
raised like a drawbridge to prevent entry.
The second floor contained a 45 foot long great hall, and the floors above had bedrooms.
This stone keep was surrounded by a water filled ditch still visible in aerial maps.
After the castle was built, Thomas gained even more power after helping King John fight
the revolting English barons.
He was then given a grant of the royal lands of County Waterford, and lands in Cork he
had conquered.
With the rise of Henry III as king, he also came to control the area of Desmond along
with Shanid Castle.
During his later life Thomas fell afoul of the teenage king’s council, having been
accused of withholding royal money from his lands, and opposing further English settlers
immigrating to Ireland.
By 1223 he was stripped of his royal lands, Decies and Desmond, and also his Governorship
of Leinster and Cork.
Upon Thomas FitzAnthony’s death in 1227 his lands were divided among his 5 daughters
along with his large debts: Helen, Dionysia, Isabella, Margery, and Desiree all were to
marry local knights.
Dionysia died without heirs after marrying William de Canteloup.
Margery married John Fitz Thomas Fitzgerald who founded the town of Tralee and attacked
the Irish, building castles south into Kerry, Limerick and Cork.
In later years his descendants would become the Earls of Desmond.
Helen married Gerald De Rupe and had a daughter Emma, who married William Denn, Sheriff of
Wexford who inherited the castle and its lands in 1247.
In 1261 tragedy struck the families when John Fitz Thomas Fitzgerald, was killed in the
Battle of Callann in 1261 fighting against the MacCarthy, O’Sullivan and O’Donahue
clans.
Also killed in the battle was his son Maurice, and his brothers in law, Gerald de Rupe and
William Denn.
Isabella had married Geoffrey de Norragh, who supported Richard Marshall, Earl of Pembroke
against Henry III.
The Earl fled to Ireland and was defeated.
Geoffrey and his other followers had their lands seized.
Desiree would marry a Stephen Archdeacon, and they were involved in a lawsuit for the
Fitz Anthony estate lands, gaining some of the old lands near to the Denn family’s.
Thus the Archdeacons, and the Denns came to control the lands around the castle.
The Denns inherited the castle itself, and the lands next to it, and the Archdeacons
the lands across the river along with a now abandoned mansion we explored at the link
here.
These two family branches of Thomas’ descendants were often in conflict.
The most famous Denn member was Sir Reginald who died in 1304.
In 1319 Sir Thomas Denn was Governor of Wexford, and his successor Fulk Denn was Sheriff of
Kilkenny, before dying in 1370.
Shortly after this a strange story becomes associated with the castle.
The Denn lord had become more Irish than the Irish and refused to pay taxes, enraging Richard.
He swore to have the lord of the castle’s head on a platter on his own feast hall table,
and landed in either 1395 or 1399, during one of his two trips to Ireland he set out
to the castle, landing on the coast with a group of men, and heading down the road to
Grennan.
After a few miles the party began to find casks of fine red wine left for them every
mile, which the men began to drink.
Upon reaching Grennan they were quite drunk and were welcomed in by the lady of the castle.
Soon they were ushered upstairs to partake of a feast in the great hall, but there was
still no sign of Sir Denn.
After some time a large covered platter in the center of the table had its lid lifted,
revealing the bloody head of Denn.
King Richard II exclaimed: “As grace be mine
I’m sorry for the good knight’s wine, I’d give a dozen of my men,
For thy one life, my outlaw Denn.”
It was then that the lady drew the table back revealing Denn, who kneeled under it with
his head through a hole, wearing the platter like a collar.
The King pardoned him then and there, allowing him to keep the Castle and if he kept his
peace.
Richard then thanked the lady for the banquet and wine and feasted, leaving the next day.
Many say this legend is true as the king visited the area in a dispute involving the castle,
and it was settled in Sir Denn’s favor with the King.
Today you’d never know the events happened here as the castle sits empty and forgotten
in the swampy field before us.
On the first approach it’s a large grey square mass, with large dark holes in its
sides.
There’s a new moat of mud, animal feces and water, mixed with rocks from the smashed
entrances.
Originally only one of these exists, and most of these holes seem to be expanded from higher
up windows.
The surrounding field can visibly be seen to be lower, and in fact is often flooded,
surrounding the castle with water.
The field of rocks shows just how much was removed to make new entrances.
Unfortunately I later learned we missed something.
There’s an unusual very narrow hidden stairway inside this wall that leads to the gaping
hole where the inner drawbridge would have been.
It’s so well disguised we never see it until after our return.
Above you can see the gap where the drawbridge would have crossed.
Now completely impassible.
On the first floor you can still see the corbels that would have supported the first floor
over the basement floor.
The first chamber gives to the remaining two large rooms for storing wine and food.
Some of the fine stone work still is left on the inside.
This arched window would have allowed defenders to fire arrows at men crossing the moat but
would have been useless against the cannons of later periods.
So how did this castle come to be abandoned and so stripped of its stonework?
Over the centuries the Denn family continued to live in the castle and hid Catholic priests
there from persecution in the 1610s.
In 1613 the Denns and Archdeacons fought over the land ownership yet again.
The Denns however remained in power, holding much land by the 1630s.
However, in 1650 it all came crashing down when Grennan was attacked by Cromwell who
was fighting the quickly dispersing forces of their lord, the Duke of Ormonde, who tried
to stop his advance.
The local Thomastown garrison fled to the castle and spent just two days under siege
before surrendering and agreeing to never again oppose the English.
From here the owning family led by Thomas Denn went into exile in Connaught in 1653
where they became bandits.
The castle under new owners stood in good shape afterwards, being described as having
a stable, orchard, fishing pond, mill and garden and being second only in importance
to Kilkenny Castle in its county.
However, by the 1800s it decayed and the carved stone was stolen from the entrance ways to
make more room for cattle to enter, and the outer walls were removed along with all the
ruined buildings.
Here it stands today, forgotten and empty.
You’d never know it was the second most important castle in the area.
Once one of the finest castles in Kilkenny, and home to a legend of a man redeemed through
his humor and wit, the ruin is now a mere home to cattle, and stripped of its ornament.
The original entrance and three lone windows stare into the distance as we depart this
place.
Join us next time as we explore a series of two amazing abandoned mansions built by the
same family, and now lying in majestic ruins
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Until next time.