Celebrate Castleinch's rich history during Heritage Week in Kilkenny

A little over three years ago a community group at Castleinch, on the south-western side of Kilkenny City, was formed by a local man, Richard Ryan.

The purpose of the group was to make accessible, preserve and promote the old roofless St David’s Church in Castleinch. The church and the surrounding graveyard had been sadly neglected for a considerable time. The need to address this spurred the group into action and now three years later much has been achieved.

LOCAL HISTORIANS

Michael O’Dwyer the well-known and distinguished historical of Kilkenny had an interest in Castleinch for a long time. He suggested to Dr Richard Hyland, a member of the Church and Graveyard Committee, that a book could be written about the church and graveyard. These historians, together with contributions from genealogists and historians - Mary Casteleyn, Bernie Kirwan and Aideen O’Reilly, have wrote Castleinch Kilkenny: Connections Through Time. This has been made possible due to the generous sponsorship from local businesses and individuals.
Bernie Kirwan who is from Danesfort has expertly read and recorded the old gravestone inscriptions and her colleague Mary Casteleyn has written extensive biographical details about those interred in Castleinch. One family interred at Castleinch are the Hartfords who lived in Grange House and for a period in Tennypark House. Captain Henry Hartford was shipwrecked in 1816 when the Sea Horse ran aground in Tramore. Captain Henry was the grandson of Catherine Wilkinson to whom the impressive vault in the Castleinch Graveyard was erected in 1797.

The merchant family, the Morrissey’s of Friary Street also have their resting place there.

WIDER PARISH

The book is not just confined to the history of the church and graveyard. The wider old parish or civil parish of Castleinch made up of 13 is documented as well in the book.

For a long time, the clergyman attached to Castleinch Church resided at Inchiholahan House on the Kells Road.

Castle Blunden

Castleinch also has strong connections to the Blunden family who have been residing at Castle Blunden for over 350 years and were related to the Cuffe family who were later to be the Earls of Desert. They have several family members interred in the graveyard.

Castle of Castleinch

In the church, Joseph Cuffe, who came from Clare, was the first of the family to live in the castle of Castleinch. He died in 1679 and gives his name to Cuffesgrange. His descendants became Lord Desart and later the Earls of Desart. The Desarts did much for Kilkenny both economically and culturally. They lived in Castleinch before the building of Desart Court in 1733. The wall monument to Joseph Cuffe’s memory is a very fine example of the seventeenth century mural plaque in a baroque style.
The Comerford family lived in Castleinch prior to the coming of the Cuffes. An elaborate tomb to the most prominent Comerford is located in St Mary’s Church in Callan.

Castleinch is steeped in a rich history and in the 1970s a medieval jug, dating back to the fourteenth century from Highhays production site located in the area in front of MacDonagh Junction. Another connection with St John’s parish is the Meany’s of Cellarstown beautiful decorated headstone just inside the graveyard gate.

The St Finbarr’s Hurling Club of Castleinch dating back to the 1950’s is also documented in the publication which will be launched at the Castleinch venue on Friday (August 23) as part of National Heritage Week.