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The donkey or ass is a domestic animal in the horse family. It derives from the African wild ass, Equus africanus, and has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. Working donkeys are often associated with those living at or below subsistence levels. Small numbers of donkeys are kept for breeding or as pets in developed countries.
A male donkey or ass is called a jack, a female a jenny or jennet;[1][2][3] a young donkey is a foal.[3] Jack donkeys are often used to mate with female horses to produce mules; the biological "reciprocal" of a mule, from a stallion and jenny as its parents instead, is called a hinny.

Asses were first domesticated around 3000 BC, probably in Egypt or Mesopotamia,[4][5] and have spread around the world. They continue to fill important roles in many places today. While domesticated species are increasing in numbers, the African wild ass is a critically endangered species. As beasts of burden and companions, asses and donkeys have worked together with humans for millennia.

The large castle and estate which dominates the area was originally the site of a 15th-century tower house that was owned by the Barry family.

The Freke family, who arrived in Ireland in the seventeenth century,[5] acquired a number of estates in West Cork, including the former Barry castle. In 1642, during the Eleven Years' War, the Freke family were forced to defend the castle from Confederate Irish forces during a sustained siege.
Following an intermarriage with members of the Evans family, the combined Evans-Freke dynasty became Barons of Carbery in the early 18th century. The original 15th century tower house was damaged by fire and other events, and John Evans-Freke, 6th Baron Carbery built a new castle on the estate in 1780.The older (Barry) fortification was incorporated into the estate's farm buildings.


Castlefreke's dune system, behind Long Strand beach, is a Special Area of Conservation
Following a fire in the early 20th century, Castle Freke was sold by John Evans-Freke, 10th Baron Carbery, and the estate and its lands passed to the Irish Land Commission. The building was used as a military barracks during The Emergency (WWII) before being partially dismantled in the 1950s. Remaining as a ruin for several decades,[5] the castle was purchased in 2005 by a descendant of the Evans-Freke family,who (as of 2019) was restoring the building.

The ruins of an early 19th century church and graveyard are located on the castle's demesneCastlefreke, also known as Rathbarry (Irish: Ráth an Bharraigh),is a townland and village in County Cork, Ireland. The townland is located in the civil parish of Rathbarry on the R598 regional road, to the east of Rosscarbery.

Castlefreke
Ráth an Bharraigh
Rathbarry
Village
Rathbarry shop and post office
Rathbarry shop and post office
Castlefreke is located in IrelandCastlefrekeCastlefreke
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 51°34′21″N 8°57′49″W
Country
Ireland
Province
Munster
County
County Cork