Ownership of Kanturk Castle, built in 1609, was formally handed over by the British National Trust and accepted on behalf of the Irish people by the President, Mrs McAleese, at a ceremony in the town yesterday. In 1900, the Perceval family presented the unfinished castle - more properly a fortified house - to the British National Trust, with the stipulation that it would remain as it was in perpetuity.
Since 1951 it had been leased by An Taisce, which bought 26 acres beside the castle in 1969. In the 1980s, enabling legislation was passed at Westminster and the British National Trust gave the freehold of the property to An Taisce.
In symbolically accepting the key of the castle from the trust's Northern Ireland chairman, Prof Ronald Buchanan, yesterday, the President said its history had come full circle.
Built by the Mac Donagh Mac Carthys, construction was stopped in 1609 when it was reported to the Privy Council in London that the local chieftains were erecting a fortress.
The castle was the first Irish property acquired by the British National Trust in what was to become the Republic of Ireland.
Mrs McAleese said it was a tribute to An Taisce and Duchas that the building had been rescued from the ravages of time and the environment and preserved as a monument to our past. She said the modern world needed "to be anchored in a right and healthy relationship with tradition and it is a measure of our maturity as a nation that we are now coming to terms with our rich and complex history".
An Taisce's president, Prof David Jeffrey, said the castle and grounds could be enjoyed as an amenity while being protected for the next generation as an important part of its heritage.
Duchas has put up panels at the castle site, giving visitors information on its history and architecture. One of the panels was unveiled by Mrs McAleese yesterday.