Many of these castles are historic ruins, but a few have been restored and are still in use.
At least three County Louth castles – Belllingham Castle, Darver Castle and Slane Castle – are wedding and event venues. Another – Smarmore Castle – is a drug and alcohol dependency treatment facility. Ardee Castle houses municipal government offices.
A few castles, such as Castle Roche, are on private land. Others, such as Carlingford (King John’s) Castle, The Mint in Carlingford and Roodstown Castle, are designated Irish national monuments.
This video covers just some of Louth’s prominent castles and isn’t comprehensive.
Castle Roche is a Norman castle was the seat of the de Verdun family who built the castle in 1236 AD. [1]
Located 10 km (7 miles) northwest of Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, Castle Roche is located on a large and steep-sided rocky outcrop with a commanding view of the surrounding area.
A deep moat and thick walls rendered it virtually impregnable. A secret passage may have once connected the castle to a round tower outpost.
The castle’s layout is nearly triangular with a large central courtyard inside the walls. A bailey separated from the castle to the north controlled entrance to the castle and the bridge between its two large bastion towers.
Although ruined the internal layout of the castle is visible, with a two- or three-story hall in the south sections along with remains other structures.
Castle Roche held a strategic position on the border between the then Gaelic province of Ulster, and the Anglo-Norman territory known as The Pale. The castle controlled the pass into what is now South Armagh.
Castle Roche was known as ‘Castellum de Rupe’ or ‘Castle on the Rock’ due to its strategic location. The de Verdun family owned the site for four centuries. Nicholas de Verdun (who died in 1316), a younger brother of Theobald II de Verdun, was in charge during the Bruce Invasion by Edward Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce.
A gathering of English forces in Ireland took place here in 1561. The castle was ruined in 1641, during the Oliver Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland.
King John’s Castle, also known as Carlingford Castle, played a role in 500 years of Irish history from medieval times to the Battle of the Boyne.
Carlingford Castle is located in a strategic position on a high rocky outcrop point above Carlingford’s harbor on the south side of Carlingford Lough.
The original section of the castle, its west wing, was built in the late 12th century by Hugh de De Lacy, Lord of Meath, shortly after the Norman invasion of Ireland. De Lacy was a wealthy and powerful Anglo-Norman landowner and royal office-holder.
King John hunting a stag with hounds.
De Lacy accompanied King Henry II as part of an Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in October 1171.
In early 1172 De Lacy was sent accept the surrender of Rory, the last High King of Ireland prior to the Anglo-Norman invasion. Before King Henry returned to England around the end of March 1172, De Lacy was granted authority over Meath and was given command of Dublin Castle.
The catch for De Lacy was he had to gain control of the portions of Ireland that Henry had granted to him. In an effort to control eastern Ireland, De Lacy began building a series of castles, including Trim Castle in Meath, Kilkea Castle, and a mott-and-baily structure in Clandard in County Meath.
Returning to England in late 1172, De Lacy was involved in a dispute with Archbishop of Canterbury Richard of Dover and in 1173 he led in an unsuccessful battle in France during fighting with French King Louis VII.[1]
De Lacy returned to Ireland as procurator-general in 1177 and quickly became a controversial figure.
As governor of Ireland De Lacy took control of both Leinster and Meath and continued building numerous castles.
De Lacy’s marriage to an Irish princess angered Henry.
De Lacy married the daughter of Ruadri O Conchobair, deposed High King of Ireland, in 1181 without asking Henry’s permission. He was recalled from his royal post because of the marriage. But he was sent back Ireland in 1182, this time with royal clerk Robert of Shrewsbury watching over him.
Henry sent his son John, the future King John, to Ireland in 1185. The prince complained to his father that De Lacy was preventing the Irish from paying tribute.
King John supposedly stayed in the castle for three days in 1210 while his army crushed a rebellion by Ireland’s Anglo-Norman lords. It then became known as King John’s castle.
Some accounts accuse De Lacy of trying rule Ireland on his own.
One account says De Lacy lost favor because of complaints of his injustice by the Irish. His mistreatment of the Irish leadership may have led to his death in 1186.
De Lacy’s murder is described in the Annals of Ulster –
“A.D. 1186. Hugo de Lacy went to Durrow to make a castle there, having a countless number of English with him; for he was king of Meath, Breifny, and Oriel, and it was to him the tribute of Connaught was paid, and he it was that won all Ireland for the English. Meath from the Shannon to the sea was full of his castles and English followers. After the completion of this work by him, i.e., the erection of the castle of Durrow, he came out to look at the castle, having three Englishmen along with him. There came then one youth of the men of Meath up to him, having his battle-axe concealed, namely Gilla-gan-inathar O’Megey, the foster son of the Fox himself (chief of Teffia), and he gave him one blow, so that he cut off his head, and he fell, both head and body, into the ditch of the castle.”
O’Megey, escaped. His motive may have been revenge for seizures of land by De Lacy, according to Alfred Webb’s A Compendium of Irish Biography, published in 1878.
In 1326 control of the castle was given to Geoffrey le Blound, then to Edmond Loundres in 1388, and Stephen Gernon in 1400. Henry MacShane O’Neill attempted to capture the castle in 1596.
The castle was held by the Irish Catholic Confederation during the Irish Confederate Wars 1641 to 1653. Sir Henry Tichborne, (Parliamentarian) gained control of the castle in 1642, then by Murrough O’Brien in 1649 and Charles Coote in 1650.
Jacobites fired on the castle in 1689 during the Williamite War. It was used as a Williamite hospital prior to the Battle of the Boyne.[2][3]
[1] Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge (1892). “Lacy, Hugh de (d.1186)”. In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 31. London: Smith, Elder & Co. [2] “Castles.nl – Carlingford Castle”, https://www.castles.nl/carlingford-castle. [3] “Castle works progress – Independent.ie”, https://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/news/castle-works-progress-31177882.html. Four Masters, Annals of Ireland by the: Translated and Edited by John O’Donovan. 7 vols. Dublin, 1856. Giraldus Cambrensis: Topography, and History of the Conquest in Ireland: Forester and Wright. London, 1863. Music: Far Over The Highlands, Christopher Moe Ditievsen; The Norman Kings, Bonnie Grace
The Mint is located on Carlingford’s medieval main street.
It is a fortified town house or tower house dating to the 15th – 16th century, but its exact purpose is unclear.
The name “The Mint” is presumed to derive from a license granted to Carlingford by Edward VI of England in 1467 to mint coinage.[1]
The limestone building is believed to have housed one of Carlingford’s wealthy merchant families, the Marmions.[2]
However, some structural quirks of the building cast some doubt on whether it was a residence or a commercial building designed to house valuables. Thus the mystery of The Mint.
The building lacks a fireplace, suggesting it may not have been a residence. It is also highly fortified, with extra thick walls,
One historical fact that could indicate the structure was just an extra fortified residence is the fact that no coins minted in Carlingford have been found.
It’s defensive features include a a battlemented chemin de ronde on the roof, with loopholes for muskets. The street side doorway is protected by and elaborate machicolation, a structure for dropping stones or material such as boiling water, boiling oil, hot sand or quicklime[3] on attackers
The Mint also features a set of five highly decorated windows, three of which are at street level, on the side facing the street.
The ogee windows have carvings of a horse, a bust of a man, a bird, a snake and Celtic interlace designs. Some sources state this reflects a revival of interest in Celtic art during the 15th–16th centuries. Each of the windows have hood mouldings and mullions.
There are also five small windows on the rear each dressed either with an arch of stones or headers and sills. There is a large first floor opening on the rear of the building and what may have been a ground floor rear entrance that has been sealed up.
The Mint is the smallest of three fortified buildings in historic Carlingford.
Carlingford is also home to the majestic ruin, King John’s castle and the Taaffe’s Castle, another example of a fortified medieval Irish tower/town house.
[1]Ruding, Rogers (1 January 1840). Annals of the coinage of Great Britain and its dependencies: from the earliest period of authentic history to the reign of Victoria. Hearne. p. 241
Chapters: 00:00 intro 00:50 The Pale 01:21 Tower House subsidy and building boom 01:33 Ardee Castle – Ireland’s largest Tower House 02:50 A look inside from the northwest side. 03:40 Another look inside O4:08 View of the vaulted ceiling storeroom 04:31 Stone Spiral Staircase 04:59 The murder hole 05:15 Castle features 05:58 Site of forge and blacksmith shop
Roodstown Castle is a 15th-century fortified tower house and National Monument located in County Louth, Ireland.
Tower houses were fortified residencies of Irish rural gentry built during the 15th and 17th centuries. Roodstown Castle is associated with the Taaffe family, who were active in the area until the 17th century.
In the mid-fifteenth century men loyal to the English crown living in the Dublin (English) Pale were offered a £10 annual government subsidy to construct a fortified house within the Pale. £10 may not sound like a lot, but in the mid-15th century this was enough money to buy 13 horses or 25 cows or pay a skilled craftsman for almost a year. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/c…
Thanks to the subsidy, numerous tower houses were built win the Pale during the 15th century. Pioneering Irish historian and archeologist Harold G. Leask estimated that more 2500 tower house may have been built in Ireland. There are similar structures in Scotland.
There are 26 tower houses in Co. Louth. Roodstown may have been one of these subsidized tower houses. Roodstown Castle shows the original owners’ wealth and the builders’ craftsmanship six hundred years ago.
The castle’s detailed window and door openings are testament to the skills and craftmanship of the area’s stone workers.
Subsidized or not Roodstown Castle sits at a strategic location between the River Glyde, River Dee, Ardee and the Irish Sea. Roodstown Castle is considered an excellent example of a surviving tower house since its original outside structure is still intact.
Constructed of rubble masonry with limestone trim, Roodstown Castle is a rectangular four-story tower house with small turrets at diagonally opposed corners.
There is a spiral stairway in the southeast side and garderobes in the northwest. The castle contained a vaulted ground-floor cellar or storage space, a murder-hole, a crenelated parapet, chemin de ronde.
The upper floors have large ogee arch windows and fireplaces. The roof and timber floors above the ground floor no longer exist. Roodstown Castle was occupied during a tumultuous period of history. The nearby town of Ardee, which has its own significant tower house, Ardee Castle, suffered mightily during this time.
Roodstown Castle is located 3.6 km (2.2 mi) north-northeast of Ardee. There is no access to the inside of the castle for safety reasons and the main gate to field where the castle is located is frequently locked. https://www.geograph.ie/photo/881262
Dolan and Murray, n.d., p.75 in Mitchell, Frank & Tuite Breeda, ‘The Great Bog of Ardee’, Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 1993, Vol.23 No.1, pp.7-95.
Donnolly, Colm J., ‘Frowning Ruins: The Tower Houses of Medieval Ireland,’ History Ireland, Vol. 4 No.1, Spring 1996, 11-16.
Leask, Harold G., Irish Castles and Castellated Houses, Revised 2nd ed., Dundalgan Press, Dundalk, 1951, p.75.
Mitchell, Frank & Tuite, Breeda, ‘The Great Bog of Ardee’, Journal of the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, 1993, Vol.23 No.1, pp.7-95.
Rowan, Alistair, ‘The Irishness of Irish Architecture’, Architectural History, 1997, Vol.40 pp.1-23. Wright, Thomas, Louthiana: Or an Introduction to the Antiquities of Ireland, 1758, Dundalk: W. Tempest Limited.
Feb. 2023 marks the first year that St. Brigid’s Day will be a national holiday in Ireland, the first named for a woman. https://www.newsendip.com/saint-brigid-day-ireland-first-public-holiday-created-after-a-woman/
The result of a successful three-year campaign to establish St. Brigid’s Day, Ireland’s newest national holiday will be observed in 2023 on Monday, 6 February.
The initiative to make St. Brigid’s Day an Irish national holiday was spearheaded by HerStory https://www.herstory.ie/home, an organization founded in 2016 that tells women’s stories through education and arts programs.
Also known as Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland, she is purported to have been born and raised circa 451 AD in Faughart just north of Dundalk in County Louth. She is said to have died in Kildare on 525 AD.
St. Brigid is the patron saint of Ireland, poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock and dairy production. A very busy saint, Brigid is also patron saint of babies, boatmen, children whose parents are not married, children whose mothers are mistreated by the children’s fathers, Clan Douglas, fugitives, Leinster, mariners, midwives, nuns, the poor, poultry farmers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travelers, and watermen.
However, there are few historic facts about Brigid. There is on-going debate among both secular and Christian scholars over whether she was a real person.
St. Brigid shares her name with a Celtic goddess.
Some scholars suggest that St. Brigid is a Christian version of the pagan goddess. Others argue that she was a real person whose story was given the goddess’s attributes.
Christian monks “took the ancient figure of the mother goddess and grafted her name and functions onto her Christian counterpart,” art historian Pamela Berge asserts.
St. Brigid was an abbess who founded several convents, most notably in Kildare, which were Ireland’s most important, according to medieval Irish hagiographies.
“By the end of the seventh century, at least two Latin biographies had been written describing her as a nobleman’s daughter who chose to consecrate her virginity to God, took the veil as a Christian nun, and became the leader of a community of religious women — or perhaps of both women and men,” Phylilis G. Jestice wrote in ‘Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia’. “Certainly, by the seventh century, there was an important double monastery at Kildare that regarded her as its founder.”
Votive Offerings and The Rag Tree
Pilgrims often leave votive offerings at St. Bridgid’s Holy Well. Growing next to the well is a rag tree. A common offering at holy wells is a rag or piece of cloth that is attached to the ‘rag tree’, which is often also considered holy. Offerings include pins, medals, rosary beads, holy pictures, statues and so forth. The offering represents the sickness the pilgrim wants cured.
St. Brigid’s feast day is 1 February, which was originally a pre-Christian festival called Imbolc, marking midwinter day, the beginning of spring. Brigid was a fire goddess in ancient Irish mythology. Today St. Brigid is celebrated with a perpetual flame at her shrine in Kildare.
A folk tradition celebrated on St. Brigid’s Day or Imbolc is Brigid’s Bed. Girls and young unmarried women make a corn doll representing Brigid that is called the Brideog and they make a bed for the Brideog.
the girls and young women gather in one house and stay up all night with the Brideog. The next day they visited by the young men of the community who must ask permission to enter, and must then treat them and the doll with respect.
Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve. On St. Brigid Day’s eve people may leave clothing or strips of cloth outside for Brigid to bless when she passes by in the night.
A Brigid of Faughart Festival http://www.brigidoffaughart.ie/ takes places in 2023 from 29 January to 6 February at the An Táin Arts Centre Crowe Street, Dundalk, Co. Louth, St. Brigid’s Shrine and several other locations in co. Louth.
Here a saint was born. A king was killed. A vanquished chieftain lost his head. Three major battles were fought.
There’s a centuries-old cemetery, a ruined medieval church and a holy well that attracts pilgrims from around the world. There’s even the remains of an iron age Norman-style motte-castle.
Here is the Hill of Faughart.
Located just north of Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, the Hill of Faughart has a lot of Irish myth and history going on in one fairly small site.
The hill itself is in a natural position to become an important place. Occupied since prehistoric times, Faughart was strategically important for centuries.
Faughart overlooks the Gap of the North/Moyry Pass — eastern Ireland’s main south-north route — Dundalk and its bay, the Cooley mountains and Slieve Gullion to its north. It has a clear view north and east of a large area.
The remains of an iron age, Norman-style earth-and-wood motte-castle stand to northeast of the cemetery, evidence of Faughart’s strategic location.
Even by Irish stands Faughart is steeped in history. It is the birthplace of St. Brigid, 451 AD. It is the burial place High King of Ireland Edward Bruce who was killed near here 14 October 1318.
St. Brigid is Ireland’s female patron saint. Sharing a name with a popular Celtic pagan goddess, Brigid is the bridge between paganism and Irish Christianity. Few historical facts are known about St. Brigid’s life, but she is an extremely popular saint both in Ireland and around the world.
There are three sites related to St. Brigid at the Hill of Faughart. The most significant site is St. Brigid’s Holy Well.
The holy well attracts pilgrims who believe the well’s water has healing powers. The second is St. Brigid’s Bed, said to be the remains of a hut where she slept. The third site is St. Brigid’s Pillar.
This site appears to be the remains of the base of a round tower that once existed there. In the center of the circle is a piece of a broken Celtic high cross. A church has existed on the Faughart since at least the 4th century and monastery once existed there. The ruined church in the graveyard dates from the 12th century.
A rag tree grows above the holy well. Pilgrims leave various votive offerings, often strips of cloths or rags, in hopes of healing ailments or being granted answers to prayers.
Faughart was at the center of three significant battles. In 248 AD, a battle was fought by Cormac Ulfada, High King of Ireland, against Storno (Starno), king of Lochlin (Scandinavia). Ulfada prevailed.
In 732 AD, Áed Allán, king of Ireland, fought a battle with Áed Róin, king of Ulaid, over what amounted to an insult to a parish controlled by a powerful bishop[. 2]https://books.google.com/books?id=NSE…
Áed Róin was vanquished and wound up having his head cut off on The Stone of Decapitation (Cloch-an-chommaigh) in the doorway of the church of Faughart. A number of other chieftains in Áed Róin’s army were also killed.
Today there are several stones near the entrance of church. It was unclear when we visited which stone was THE Stone of Decapitation. If you know the answer please let us know in the comments.
Perhaps the most significant Battle of Faughart was fought 14 October 1318 between Hiberno-Norman forces led by John de Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth, and Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and his Scots-Irish army commanded by Edward Bruce.
Bruce was the brother of Robert Bruce, King of Scots, Edward Bruce has been backed as King of Ireland by some Irish chieftains. Butler’s army was defeated. Bruce was killed. His body was quartered and sent to various towns in Ireland. His head was sent to King Edward II in England.
Thus, it is hard to know what, if any parts of Bruce, are actually buried in the grave at Faughart. The Battle of Faughart was part of the First War of Scottish Independence, during a three-year era known as the Irish Bruce Wars. Bruce’s death ended an attempt to revive the High Kingship of Ireland.
