Cú Chulainn’s Castle, also known as Dún Dealgan Motte, Byrne’s Folly or Pirate Byrne’s Castle, represents multiple layers of Irish myth and history.
Cú Chulainn’s Castle, a designated Irish National Monument, is located northwest of Dundalk and west of Mount Avenue, on a ridge overlooking the Castletown River.
An ancient Gaelic Irish dún — or fort — once stood here. Some legends claim the site, which had a surrounding village, was the birthplace of Cú Chulainn.
The recorded reference to a fort on this site is from 1001-1002 AD.
A motte-and-bailey, the type of castle built after the Norman invasion, may have been constructed by Norman noble Bertram III de Verdun (c.1135–1192).
In 1210, it was a stronghold of Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster. De Lacy abandoned it when he was being hunted by England’s King John. De Lacy built and controlled several castles and fortified tower houses in County Louth, including Carlingford Castle, also known as King John’s castle.
On 14 October 1318, it was the site of the Battle of Faughart, which ended with the death of Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce. Edward Bruce was drawn and quartered, his parts sent as a warning to the four corners of Ireland. His head was shipped to the King of England.
Yet, Bruce has a grave at the nearby Hill of Faughart.
Local landowner and merchant Patrick Byrne, who was often called a pirate due his involvement in smuggling, built a Gothic house with a tower on the mount in 1780. It was damaged in the 1798 Irish Rebellion.
Only the castellated tower, which became known as “Byrne’s Folly”, remains. This is the structure visible on the site today. The house was rebuilt as a country retreat in 1850 by Thomas Vesey Dawson.
The building again fell into disrepair. It was purchased by the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society for a museum. It was further damaged during the Irish revolutionary period (1919–23) when armed men set it ablaze.
Today, the tower and surrounding ruins are an Irish national monument. In May 2023, local politicians called upon Ireland’s Department of Public Works, keepers of national monuments, to make the castle more accessible to tourists.
The site’s steep, curving driveway is blocked by an iron gate. Visitors must either climb a set of stone steps or squeeze around a small dirt path opening next to the steps to gain access to the driveway. The site is marked with an informational sign and part way up the driveway a handrail is already in place, should more tourists be able to access the site.
The castle’s main drawback as a tourist draw is the lack of parking. Parking in front of the gate is prohibited. The nearest safe parking is along one of the streets in the nearby housing estates across the street from the site.
On the sunny, breezy day we visited, we had Cú Chulainn’s Castle to ourselves.
Links, References and Sources:
■ Ask About Ireland https://www.askaboutireland.ie/readin…
■ Cu Chulainn’s Castle Dundalk Republic Of Ireland 
• CU CHULAINN’S CAS…
■ Cúchulainn’s Castle, Castletown Motte ,Co Louth , Ireland
• Cúchulainn’s Cas…
■ Dundalk Business Improvement District https://dundalktown.ie/cuchulainns-ca…
■ Irish Road Trip https://www.theirishroadtrip.com/cu-c…
■ News story: Cuchulainn’s Castle should be developed tourist attraction for Dundalk says Cllr Sean Kelly https://www.independent.ie/regionals/…
■ Megalithic Ireland http://www.megalithicireland.com/Dun%… ■ Secret Ireland https://secretireland.ie/how-are-cuch…
■ The Incredibly Long Journey https://theincrediblylongjourney.com/…
■ Visit Louth https://www.visitlouth.ie/explore-and…
■ Visions of the Past https://visionsofthepastblog.com/2015… ■ Books ➤Crowl, Philip Axtell (1 January 1990). The Intelligent Traveller’s Guide to Historic Ireland. Contemporary Books. ISBN 9780809240623 https://books.google.com/books?id=hKG… ➤Hagger, Mark S. (1 January 2001). The Fortunes of a Norman Family: The de Verduns in England, Ireland and Wales, 1066-1316. Four Courts Press. ISBN 9781851825967 https://books.google.com/books?id=hVJ…
■ See our website for more info: https://irelandinsideandout.com/ #Ireland #Irish #IrishHistory #Dundalk #CountyLouth #CúChulainn #castle #Irishcastles #mythicalIreland #castles #middleages #BattleofFaughart