History of the Village

The village of Garrykennedy is located on the shores of Lough Derg in County Tipperary.
The village emerged and evolved around Garrykennedy Castle which was built during the period 1450 to 1600 A.D.
Castles and Tower Houses are common around Lough Derg. They were built for defence by important local land owners such as Butlers, O’Kennedys, O’Briens of Arra.
Garrykennedy castle is referred to in the civil survey of 1645 A.D. as the Castle of Castlegare and two centuries later as Slanger Castle.
Much of the stone from the old castle was used to construct the stone Quay and Harbour at the end of the village. This work occurred during the period 1780 to 1830.
As a result, by 1840 it was estimated that the dimensions of the old ruined castle measured only 17ft by 11ft and 40ft in height.

Local Slate Quarry Industry

Garrykennedy and Portroe had a flourishing slate quarry industry in the late 1700s. It once employed 400 men. Slate was transported by barge from the harbour at Garrykennedy to Limerick and from there by ship around the world.
The now ghostly quarry workings once supplied 'Killaloe' slates for a vast number of public and private buildings throughout Europe.
The slate floors in the living room (with wood burner) in the cottage were sourced from the local slate quarries.
When the slate quarries closed in the mid 1800’s many families in the area emigrated to work the slate quarries in Vermont in the United States. A look through the phone book for the City of Fair Haven in Vermont reveals lots of names originating in the Garrykennedy area - including Durack, Starr, Minogue, Seymour, O'Brien, Ryan, Fogarty, Flood and Hackett.

Garrykennedy Cottage was built in 1782. As you walk through the half-door entrance you get the feeling of being carried back in time.
The earliest occupants worked in farming and the production or distribution of slate from the quarries.
The Cottage was known as "Dunne's House" as far back as the early 1800's.
The owner at that time was James Dunne.
His daughter Winifred Dunne inherited the house and lived in it with her husband John Ryan.
Winifred Dunne and John Ryan married in 1893 in Portroe (1 mile from Cottage).
They had 13 children including Ciss and Jack.
Ciss Ryan ran the pub in the village which still bears her name (Ciss Ryan’s). She lived in the rooms beside the pub.
Once the family of Winifred Dunne and John Ryan were reared and left the cottage, it was rented out to the Coen family and then the Lewis family.
During the 1970's it was again occupied by Jack Ryan (Ciss's brother).
The cottage was sold out of the Ryan family in 1986 and has been completely restored since then.
The Cottage now has 4 double bedrooms (each with queen / double bed), 3 bathrooms (3 with showers, 1 with bath), 2 living/sitting rooms, 1 kitchen and 1 dining room / sunroom. It has thoroughly modern systems hidden discreetly within the old house.
The cottage featured on The Fine Living Channel on US TV, showcasing the very best vacation homes around the world.