Castletownroche
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Castletownroche Baile Chaisleáin an Róistigh |
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 Castletownroche
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| Coordinates: 52°10′37″N 8°27′32″W / 52.17694°N 8.45889°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Cork |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
Castletownroche (Irish: Baile Chaisleán an Róistigh) is a townland, village, and civil parish in the barony of Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the N72 National secondary road. In ancient times, it was known in Irish as Dún Chruadha, meaning Cruadha's Fort. Castletownroche is located on the River Awbeg in the Blackwater Valley about eight miles (13 km) from Mallow.
The first historical record about Castletownroche is from the late 13th century when the Anglo-Norman family of de la Roche established a fortress here. They were descendants of Richard FitzGodebert (Richard, son of Godebert) who came with Strongbow to Ireland. Their family had a castle in Pembrokeshire that was built upon an outcrop of stone and they became known as FitzGodebert de la Roch (FitzGodebert of the Rock). From that, their Hiberno-Norman descendants were known as "de la Roch" and finally, Roche. It is from this element, and the castle they built here in County Cork, that Castletownroche gets its name.
Like many of the Anglo-Norman families that arrived as invaders, the Roches eventually became loyal to interests different from those of Britain, allied with the Gaelic , and came to be regarded as rebels. After centuries of sporadic conflict, the Roches were routed from their castle. In 1666 Lieutenant Colonel John Widenham, who had lived in County Clare, got the castle as reward. Castletownroche was renamed Castle Widenham.
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