Carlow Castle

Carlow, Ireland

Carlow Castle has a large rectangular three-story limestone keep with circular towers at each angle. The castle dates from the early 13th century. It was built by William Marshal the elder in the time period between 1207 and 1213 which he spent in Ireland. The castle in Carlow was the very first of its kind in Ireland.

The castle was handed over to the crown in 1306, granted in 1312 to Thomas Plantagenet, confiscated by the crown in 1537 as the landlords were absent, bought by the Earl of Thomond in 1616, changed hands multiple times until it was taken by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 but was later returned to the Earl of Thomond. In 1814 the castle was widely destroyed in an attempt to create more space for the conversion into a lunatic asylum with the help of explosives. Just the outer face of the west wall and the two neighbouring towers could be preserved.

Address

Mill Lane 6, Carlow, Ireland

See all sites in Carlow

Details

Founded: 1207-1213
Category: Castles and fortifications in Ireland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.carlowcountymuseum.com

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

TAOREED OLATILEWA (4 years ago)
I needed satnav for Bus, Rigid and articulated trucks please!!!

Anthony Moran (4 years ago)
A beautiful castle ruin that badly needs repairing for safety. You can no longer get to close to it as parts of the tower are unstable.

Arrianne Ivyr Rozario (4 years ago)
This is practically it. The good thing is it's in the town so you can enjoy a walk and explore their town which is quite nice. People are friendly and always happy to give directions. Some even share a bit of history.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright mixteri

Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.