Ballyheigue Castle

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Ballyheigue Castle is a ruined mansion in Ballyheigue, County Kerry. Built in a Tudor-gothic revival style, it stands on the site of an earlier house and was enlarged in 1809 by the architect Richard Morrison. It was once the home of the Crosbie family and later served as a jail. The building has burned down twice and today forms part of a golf course.

The “castle” name comes from its crenellated parapet. The main front is two storeys high, with six bays and three-storey corner turrets, and it was originally thatched with an enclosed courtyard.

The Crosbie family owned the site for generations and were connected with the bishopric of Ardfert, as well as local government and Parliament. In the 1700s and 1800s, several Crosbies held roles such as High Sheriff of Kerry and Member of Parliament. From 1890 the estate also housed part of a Royal Irish Constabulary station. In 1912 a hay shed on the property burned.

Between 1916 and 1920, the Crosbie family sold most of the lands and the castle to Jeremiah Leen, ending the family’s ties to Ballyheigue. The building stood empty in 1921, then was briefly lived in by Mr. R. Palmer and Mrs. Erskine. In March 1921 the castle was occupied by the Royal Irish Constabulary, and during the Irish War of Independence hundreds were detained on the grounds. The contents were auctioned on 25 May 1921, and on 27 May the building was burned by local Irish Volunteers. In 1923 Leen won a court case over insurance losses connected to the fire. A part of the building left of the front was rebuilt as apartments in 1975.

In 1998 Ballyheigue Castle Golf Course opened on the estate.