When lighting struck a castle wall in Ballybunion a year ago, it galvanised a community into action. Only the east wall remains of the Ballybunion castle destroyed in the Desmond war in 1582, but that wall is of huge significance locally and nationally, its promoters argue.
It overlooks the best beaches in Kerry, facing out to the Atlantic. It is the international logo of the seaside and golfing town and it is built within an earlier Iron Age promontory fort. In 1987, a souterrain with three separate chambers was discovered underneath. Mr Danny Houlihan, a local historian who runs the Ballybunion Heritage Museum, traces the castle back to the Ciar, after whom Kerry is named. It is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters. During the Tan wars, republicans used the green as an execution site for at least one Tan. The castle green is also a place where lovers meet.
While he is concerned about its history, Mr Houlihan is just as worried about its safety. When the lightning struck in December, boulders were sent flying over 400 yards. A new scaffold and protective barrier need to be erected, he says. The castle wall is more than 70 feet high and a medieval mix of ox blood, horse hair and mud is holding parts of it together.
The future of the castle has been raised in the Dail by Kerry North TD Mr Jimmy Deenihan (FG), who wants the State to take it into ownership. The Minister for Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, has refused to do this.
Mr Houlihan says Ballybunion accepts Ms de Valera cannot look after every monument, but the onus is on the county council now. This is especially the case since a map, uncovered by Councillor Martin Ferris of Sinn Fein, apparently establishes the council as the owner. "The castle needs to be preserved and made safe. We are not looking for an interpretative centre or anything like that," Mr Houlihan says.