A historic site close to the town is Kanturk Castle, known locally as the Old Court,[REF] a fortified house built in 1601 for MacDonagh McCarthy as a defence against English settlers [REF].
Heritage tourists from the McAuliffe, O'Keeffe, O'Callaghan, Hartnett, Fitzpatrick, Sullivan, Walsh, O'Riordan, and McCarthy families visit Kanturk to investigate familial roots in the area.