castles historical ireland

Known as the Castle of the Curlews, this castle was built around 1590 to protect the pass over the Curlew Hills. It was garrisoned by a Constable and ten wardens from 1610 to 1626 and, after a stout resistance, had to surrender in 1641 due to lack of water.

The plan of the castle is modelled on those of 13th century castles, with a small central square block dwarfed by four massive towers at the corners which are round outside and square inside....

Within the grounds of the Servite Monastery in Benburb are the remains of one of the more dramatically sited of all inland monuments in Northern Ireland. Its cliff-site controlling the crossing of the River Blackwater had been fortified by Shane O'Neill during the course of the 16th century, but what remains on the site is a castle built after the defeat of Gaelic opposition, when the new planters were staking their claim to the lands which James I had granted to them. By building this castle...

Two sides of a four-storey castle which was square in shape with large rounded turrets at the four corners. The two lower storeys were vaulted. Although built in the style of the 13th century castles, it was probably not built till the 15th century. Cromwell is said to have fired on it from the opposite bank of the Boyne on his way from Drogheda to Athboy in 1649...

This Castle was built on a sanctuary of the Celtic Goddess of love and poetry, Matres. The square castle was built by the 7th Earl of Desmond in the mid 15th century. It has entered the history books several times. It was the place were Edmund Spenser and Walter Raleigh first met and is said to have inspired ‘The Faerie Queene’.

It was owned by the family of Robet Southwell, the metaphysical poet and is linked to the journey of the two Wesleyite converts who founded the first Methodist c...

Three storeys high, it consists of a central square tower with stout rounded towers at each corner, all of them well endowed with gun-loops. The exterior walls have a string-course above each floor, and there is an arch at the top of the south wall of the central tower. There are fireplaces in the first and second floors and, as that in the first floor is larger, were may presume that the main living quarters for the family were on the first floor. Note the small head carved on a stone under...

Remains consist of square gatehouse of two storeys....

Trim is a town which was founded by the Normans on the banks of the Boyne and few towns in Ireland contain more medieval buildings than it. These buildings are as follows:

Castle:
The first fortification on the site was a motte with a timber tower, erected by Hugh de Lacy in 1172 as a first step towards the conquest of Meath. He left Hugh Tyrell in charge of it. But Roderick O'Connor, King of Connacht, thought himself threatened by its existence, and he marched agains...

Mountjoy Castle is a ruined fort with four rectangular corner towers not far from Washing Bay. It was built in 1602 and was garrisoned during the Willianite wars....

A 13th century castle built by the De Barrys, possibly by David Oge de Barry. it is a large square in shape, with rounded turrets at each corner.
The entrance was through the south wall where there is a large oblong tower with a long passage which was closed by a heavy door and which possibly had a portcullis.

This tower was heavily modified in the 15th or 16th century. Opposite it, in the north wall, there is another square tower. Buildings were undoubtedly built agains the int...

This town is about 13 miles from Mullingar and was built in the late 17th century by the Pollard family under a charter from Charles II. The old National school has been converted into an agricultural museum and heritage centre. Just outside Castlepollard in Tullynally Castle, the home of the Earl of Longford's family, the Packenhams.

The gardens are open from May to September....