castles historical ireland

King John's Castle: Allegedly founded by King John who stayed here for three days in 1210, the castle may have been begun some years previously by Hugh de Lacy. The semicircular western half of the castle was probably built before King John's visit. This curving wall, which enclosed an open courtyard, had two-storey buildings leaning against its inner face; the entrance, on the west side, was flanked by two rectangular towers (only parts of the northern tower remain) and at the south-wester...

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...

The castle was founded by Roger de Peppard in 1207, but much of the present building does not go back beyond the 15th century. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was used for attacks on Ulster, and two English Lord Deputies, Stanley (1414) and the White Earl of Ormond (1452), died here on such expeditions. After the Restoration, it was granted to Theobald Taffe, Earl of Carlingford....

It is said that in 1236 Rohesia de Verdun fortified a castle here on her own lands 'which none of her predecessors had been able to do'. Legend says that she promised herself in marriage to the architect if she liked the castle when it was built. But when he came to claim her hand as a reward, she had him thrown out of the window - an explanation for one of the windows which is still called 'the murder window'! But old legend notwithstanding, the castle was probably built by Rohesia's son Joh...

Mrs. Bridget Aylee Owner of Ayesla Castle will welcome you personally and give you a guided tour of the castle and grounds....

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...

The history of the Talbots of Malahide stretches back virtually unbroken to 1185 when the property was granted to Robert Talbot by Prince John, Lord of Ireland.
The castle is the oldest to be continually inhabited by the same family and, apart from a period during which they were evicted by Cromwell, the Talbots lived there until 1975.
The castle has the only surviving original medieval great hall hung with an impressive collection of family portraits. It is said that 14 Talbot cousins b...

Kinsale can easily claim its place amongst Ireland's most historic locations for this has been a centre of population, commerce, trade and fishing far beyond memory and record.

In its earliest days the estuary of the Bandon River gave it great importance as the river is tidal as far as Innishannon and water transport was dominant until the 18th Century. The estuary also provided excellent anchorage for ancient shipping which went in peril of the vagaries of the weather.

The t...

Talbot Castle or St. Mary's Abbey as it is also known is an adapted Augustinian Priory and was used in the eighteenth century as an exclusive Protestant school. It was here that the then Arthur Wellesley was educated. The castle can still be seen on the north bank of the Boyne, facing the Norman fortress....

This charming informal garden on the banks of the Argideen river has been created by five generations of the Travers family.
The 121 ha estate was originally purchased with the village of Timoleague by Colonel Robert E. Travers in 1818 and he began laying out the grounds around the later Georgian house he built there. Each generation of the Travers family has added to the gardens over the intervening 160 years.

The gardens are a tribute to their plantsmanship and palm trees and ot...