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Carrigafoyle Castle, Ballylongford, Co. Kerry undergoing restoration.
The siege of Carrigafoyle Castle took place at Easter in 1580 on the southern shores of the River Shannon. The engagement was part of the English crown's campaign against the forces of the Gerald Fitzgerald, 15th Earl of Desmond during the Second Desmond Rebellion. The castle was held by rebel troops in the service of Desmond and some Catholic troops from continental Europe.
The strategic significance of the siege is fully indicated by the swiftness with which other Desmond strongholds fell once news of the destruction had spread. The castle at Askeaton was abandoned before the guns (its Spanish defenders blowing up the walls), and the garrisons at Newcastle West, Balliloghan, Rathkeale and Ballyduff slipped away soon after. The rebels then engaged in guerrilla warfare, and the crown only prevailed against them in 1583, when the Earl of Desmond was killed at Glenageenty in the Slieve Mish mountains near Tralee.

Such was the damage to Carrigafoyle Castle that it was never repaired. Its ruins still stand, including the outer defences and moat, and the effect of the bombardment is clear to see.