Fitzgerald stronghold, 1298–1599', body: 'Thomas "the Ape" FitzGerald began the castle here in the 13th century — the nickname came from a story about an ape that took him from his cradle to the top of Tralee Castle and brought him back safe. By 1298 the castle had walls and towers. By the 1400s, when the Earls of Desmond were at their height, the banqueting hall was the seat of their power. Two Earls died here: Garrett (Gearóid Iarla) in 1398 and James the 6th in 1462. At the end of the 1500s, the castle was confiscated during the Desmond Rebellions, granted to Sir William Courtenay, recaptured by the "Sugan" Earl in 1598, taken back in 1599. Cromwell attacked it in 1645. The Williamite wars damaged it further in the 1690s. What remains is the 15th-century hall, vaulted chambers, a tower, and a medieval memory.
The Earls of Desmond
Born in Croom, claimed by Newcastle West', body: 'Michael Hartnett was born in Croom but his homeplace was Newcastle West. He died in October 1999. Since 2000, the town has hosted Éigse Michael Hartnett, a literary and arts festival in October that brings poets, musicians, writers and thinkers to the Square. The festival runs workshops, readings, talks, films, poetry trails and a bus tour. Hartnett won the Irish Poetry Prize, a Poetry Ireland Choice award and the American Ireland Fund Award. The festival carries his name and his weight.
Michael Hartnett, poet
Connected in 1867, disconnected in 1976', body: 'The Limerick to Tralee railway arrived in Newcastle West in June 1867. For over a hundred years it made the town a hub — grain and livestock could reach Limerick quickly, the cattle could sell higher, the farmers could bring families to do business on market day. The line closed in 1976. The track bed became the Limerick Greenway, which opened as a walking and cycling trail in 2021 — so the town is still connected, but by foot and bicycle instead of steam.
The railway and the market
Since 1625', body: 'George Courtenay was granted a patent in 1625 to hold an annual fair and a Saturday market here. The weekly livestock market continues. Newcastle West was built as a market town — the Desmond Castle gave it a base, the Courtenay patent gave it permission, the railway gave it reach. Now the Greenway runs through where the trains used to go.
The Saturday market