Orna Mulcahy - Irish Castles

HarperCollins Publishers

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First Edition 2020

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Author: Orna Mulcahy

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Print Edition ISBN 978-0-00-834822-9

eBook Edition © October 2019 ISBN 978-0-00-837822-6

Version: 2019-11-08

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Location Maps

Northern Ireland

West Central Ireland

Southwestern Ireland

East Central Ireland

Southeastern Ireland

Castles

An Culu

Ardgillan Castle

Ardo Castle

Ashford Castle

Askeaton Castle

Athenry Castle

Augher Castle

Ballea Castle

Ballinacarriga Castle

Ballinlough Castle

Ballintober Castle

Ballydonnellan Castle

Ballyhack Castle

Ballynahinch Castle

Bargy Castle

Barmeath Castle

Barretstown Castle

Barryscourt Castle

Belfast Castle

Birr Castle

Blackwater Castle

Blarney Castle

Bullock Castle

Bunratty Castle & Folk Park

Burncourt Castle

Cahir Castle

Carlingford Castle

Carnew Castle

Carrickfergus Castle

Carrigafoyle Castle

Carrigaholt Castle

Castle Bernard

Castle Hackett

Castle Matrix

Castle Pook

Castlegarde Castle

Castletown House

Classiebawn Castle

Clogh Oughter Castle

Clontarf Castle

Crom Castle

Dangan Castle

Desmond Castle

Doe Castle

Donegal Castle

Drimnagh Castle

Drishane Castle

Dromoland Castle

Dromore Castle

Dublin Castle

Dunamase Castle

Dunboy Castle and Puxley Manor

Dungarvan Castle

Dungiven Castle

Dunguaire Castle

Dunluce Castle

Dunsany Castle

Dysert O’Dea Castle

Glenveagh Castle

Glin Castle

Gosford Castle

Hatch’s Castle

Helen’s Tower

Hillsborough Castle & Gardens

Hope Castle

Howth Castle

Huntington Castle

Inchiquin Castle

Isert Kelly Castle

Jigginstown Castle

Johnstown Castle

Jordan’s Castle

Kanturk Castle

Kilcash Castle

Kilclief Castle

Kilcolman Castle

Kilkenny Castle

Killeen Castle

Killua Castle

Killymoon Castle

Kilwaughter Castle

Kinbane Castle

King John’s Castle

Knappogue Castle

Knockdrin Castle

Kylemore Abbey

Lambay Castle

Leamaneh Castle

Leap Castle

Lismore Castle

Lohort Castle

Luggala Lodge

Luttrellstown Castle

Lynch’s Castle

Macroom Castle

Malahide Castle

Mallow Castle

Manderley Castle

Manorhamilton Castle

Markree Castle

Maudlin Castle

Maynooth Castle

McDermott’s Castle

Menlo Castle

Minard Castle

Moher Tower

Monea Castle

Mongavlin Castle

Monkstown Castle

Mountgarrett Castle

Moygara Castle

Moyode Castle

Muckross House

Narrow Water Castle

Nenagh Castle

Newtown Castle

O’Brien’s Tower

O’Malley Castle

Oranmore Castle

Ormond Castle

Parkes Castle

Portaferry Castle

Portumna Castle

Quintin Castle

Redwood Castle

Rockfleet Castle

Roscrea Castle

Shane’s Castle

Slade Castle

Slane Castle

Smarmore Castle

Strancally Castle

Tandragee Castle

Thomastown Castle

Trim Castle

Tully Castle

Tullynally Castle

Waterford Castle

Photo credits

About the Author

About the Publisher

There’s a special romance to Irish castles, whether it’s the ruined stronghold of an ancient Irish clan perched on a rocky clifftop, the monumental tower rising inside a town’s medieval walls, or the castellated fancy of a Victorian tycoon reflected in its own glassy lake.

Combined with the country’s dramatic scenery of craggy coastline, rolling green countryside, ancient woodlands, and loughs, Ireland’s most famous castles are set in dreamy locations beloved by generations of tourists, film-makers, and brides. Think of the majesty of ruined Dunluce, etched against the sky on the north Antrim coast; the thrilling bulk of Blarney Castle, home to the Blarney Stone, which is said to give those who kiss it the gift of fluent talk; or the splendour of Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo, the setting for film director John Ford’s sentimental tribute to Ireland, The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne.

It’s not known exactly how many castles dot the island of Ireland but it’s likely to be in thousands. A high number of fortifications reflect a rebellious history reaching back to the twelfth century and lasting all the way to the 1920s, when many of Ireland’s aristocratic homes were abandoned or burned during the War of Independence.

Ruins abound: fortresses destroyed by cannon fire tell of Cromwell’s rampage through Ireland in the late 1640s; the shells of once grand castles, built in prosperous times and then abandoned.

This book provides a guide to 140 or so Irish castles and strongholds, many of them dating back to Norman times and earlier, some of them far more recent, but all selected for their historical or architectural significance.

Some are ancient monuments, standing strong after nearly a thousand years; others mere piles of stones in once strategic settings. Many, like grand Malahide Castle on the outskirts of Dublin and Dublin Castle in the centre of the capital, have been carefully restored and are open to the public. Others can only be viewed externally and from a distance. One or two are twentieth-century replica castles, such as Doonbeg on the County Clare coast – now owned by US President Donald Trump.

Castles first appeared in Ireland with the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the twelfth century. Land distributed by King Henry II of England was parcelled out to royalists who built fortified towers to protect themselves from the native clans. These castles were built in strategic positions, and consisted of a large square or rectangular tower, known as a keep, surrounded by a large curtain wall. Other defensive measures were a moat, portcullis and drawbridge, and battlements.

By the beginning of the thirteenth century, stone castles began to appear, many built on the orders of King John. Amongst the earliest of these is Dublin Castle, built in 1204. The fortifications of Carrickfergus in Antrim and Trim in County Meath (once known as the Royal County) also date from this period. By the middle of the century, castles had spread throughout Ireland, built by Anglo-Norman families, who quickly integrated themselves, marrying into native families and becoming Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis, meaning “more Irish than the Irish themselves”.