Kinnitty Bridge, Kinnitty, Co. Offaly
Kinnitty Castle is a Tudor style country house remodelled by George Richard Pain in 1833. It was burnt in 1922 and subsequently rebuilt in 1924.
The demesne was well established by the late 18th century and enhanced and adapted by later generations of the Barnard family. They created ‘countless meandering routes around the grounds, providing short strolls taking in the well planted shrubberies or more adventurous routes through cool, dense woodlands.’ A particular feature was the river Camcor and ‘to fully appreciate this vibrant fast flowing river, with its lush, verdant edges, two pedestrian bridges traverse it, allowing circuitous routes along the river banks.’ (Rachel McKenna. 2017. Flights of Fancy – follies, families and demesnes in Offaly.)
The earlier and finer of the two bridges, located to the rear of the castle, is the wire suspension footbridge, built c.1840. The bridge is hung from cast-iron columns while the uprights are anchored to the ground behind with a pair of diagonal wrought-iron rods. There are only two suspension bridges in County Offaly – the other is located in the Birr Castle demesne. It was manufactured by T&D Roberts, Mountmellick, and is considered by the conservation engineer, Chris Southgate, to be an early example of a wire suspension bridge.
‘The works, completed in 2021, included replacing the timber deck and steel flats; repairing the existing cast-iron frames and main cables; and some repair or replacement of wrought-iron stays, hangers and latticing. The works involved a combination of direct labour by Coillte and specialist contractors, with the twin aims of repairing the existing structure and halting further deterioration.’ (Rachel McKenna in ‘Fifteen years of the Follies Trust’. 2022) The Follies Trust was delighted to be involved in the conservation of this significant structure by providing a grant towards the work.