Desmond Hall and Castle are located on south of the main square in the western end of Newcastle West.

Local talks By 1298, the castle had curtain walls and defensive towers surrounding the complex, with thatched houses, cattle byres and fishponds in the centre.

[citation needed] In 1591, during the Desmond Rebellions, the castle was seized by the Crown and granted to Sir William Courtenay on condition that 80 English colonists be settled in the area as part of the Munster Plantation.

The castle buildings were attacked by Oliver Cromwell’s forces in 1645, and further damage during the Williamite war in Ireland in the late 17th century.

Restored medieval features include an oak minstrels' gallery and a limestone hooded fireplace.