Irish castles Archives - Gen Web-Ireland https://www.irelandgenweb.com/category/irish-castles/ Irish Land Research Blog Tue, 01 Aug 2023 14:06:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://www.irelandgenweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/cropped-green-g4f2960f9d_640-32x32.png Irish castles Archives - Gen Web-Ireland https://www.irelandgenweb.com/category/irish-castles/ 32 32 Attractions in Ireland https://www.irelandgenweb.com/attractions-in-ireland/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 14:06:17 +0000 https://www.irelandgenweb.com/?p=114 The Republic of Ireland is a state in the north of Europe. Its territory covers most of the island with the same name and several…

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The Republic of Ireland is a state in the north of Europe. Its territory covers most of the island with the same name and several smaller ones. The capital is Dublin, where about a quarter of the country’s population, more than 1.5 million people, is concentrated. Ireland has been a member of the European Union since 1973. Thanks to the many historical events in this country in antiquity and excellent sightseeing tours, holidays in Ireland will be remembered for a long time. And about what sights of Ireland are worth visiting you will learn further in the article.

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What to see in Ireland?

1. Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle is one of the main attractions in Ireland. It is a whole complex of government buildings located in the capital. It is located south of the River Liffey and its main structures were built in the early 13th century on the site of an old Viking fortress. Dublin Castle was built as a powerful defence structure – thick walls and several watchtowers testify to this. However, it has never been besieged or stormed in its history. In the XVIII century, after the biggest fire at the end of the previous century, the castle underwent a major reconstruction, during which most of the fortifications were dismantled and the defence moat was filled in. Only the tallest tower, the Record Tower, built in 1230, has survived. Visitors to Dublin Castle can see the remainder of the wall, which adjoined the Birmingham Puddle Tower. The castle was occupied by the English government until 1922. Since 1930, it has been the venue for most ceremonial events and the inauguration of Irish presidents.

2. Cashel Rock

This castle is located near the town of the same name and is among the most visited attractions in Ireland. For several hundred years, the castle served as the residence of kings until the Normans took over. It was also here that St Patrick preached his sermons, converting the king himself to Christianity. Conall Cork founded the first fortifications of the castle in the 4th century A.D. However, in 1101, the castle was given to the church, and half a century later, in 1152, it became the seat of the bishops. When the civil war broke out in 1647, the castle was sacked by parliamentary troops, killing many civilians and clerics (over 3,000). As a result, Cashel Rock became a symbol of the brutality of the invaders and the courage of the Irish. Now the castle is open to all, and the complex’s buildings are undergoing reconstruction.

3. Cliffs of Moher

Ireland’s landmarks such as the Cliffs of Moher are the country’s calling card. On average, the height of these cliffs reaches 120 metres at Hags Head, but there is a section rising to 214 metres, located 8 kilometres north, not far from O’Brian’s Tower. The Cliffs of Moher are located on the Atlantic Ocean, forming a cliff.

Thanks to the excellent view, the place is visited by more than 1 million tourists every year, and back in 2006, the cliffs were named one of the most visited places in the country. A year later, a visitor centre was opened there. It was specially made environmentally friendly and disguised as a hill covered with grass. The base of the cliffs consists of shale and sandstone, and the cliffs are home to more than 30 thousand birds of 20 different species, among which there are quite rare ones.

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4. St Patrick’s Cathedral

This cathedral is the largest in Ireland. It was erected in Dublin and given to the Anglican Church. The head is a dean, not a bishop. The most famous person to head the cathedral was Jonathan Swift. Mentions of the structure date back to 1191, when Archbishop John Comyn gave the church cathedral status. Subsequently, a whole complex of various buildings and the archbishop’s palace were built around it. After 1212 the church acquired full cathedral status, and 13 years later reconstruction began, which brought the English Gothic style to the appearance of the building. In the XVII century the cathedral was destroyed, but the monks in 1660 began to restore it. Now this cathedral is one of the main symbols of Irish culture and a famous landmark of Dublin.

5. Guinness Brewery

Guinness is one of the most popular brands of beer. It all started when Arthur Guinness, having received 200 pounds as a gift in 1752, decided to spend it on renting a brewery. Subsequently, it was bought out and his descendants started to expand the family business actively. The Guinness Storehouse Brewery is located in Dublin and is Ireland’s most popular tourist destination. A total of 9 million tourists visit the country annually, and one in eight of them visit this Irish attraction. Here, anyone is able to participate in the process of creating a drink, as well as try different recipes. In addition, on the top floor, there is a pub where you can exchange your entry ticket for a pint of fresh beer.

6. Irish Museum of Modern Art

The museum opened in 1991 in the former Royal Hospital, which dates back to the 17th century. A refurbishment was carried out beforehand, glass stands were erected, and aluminum railings were made. Lighting was installed according to the location of the exhibits. The exhibited rarities relate to the city’s history and reflect the events there. Viking artifacts represent a separate category. In general, this museum will be interesting to visit for anyone interested in the history of Ireland.

7. Castle Cairn

Caire is a large Irish castle. It is located between Waterford and Limerick. The first stone fortifications appeared on the site in 1142 on the orders of Connor O’Brian, Prince of Thomond. Subsequently, the castle grew to become a huge fortress. In 1650, the garrison surrendered to Oliver Cromwell, allowing it to remain in excellent condition until modern times. In the 1960s, Castle Cair was given to the government and opened to tourists, becoming one of Ireland’s top attractions.

8. Bunratty Castle

In the west of Ireland, in County Clare, lies Bunratty Castle, the last of four castles built on the site of a Viking trading outpost. It was built by the O’Brien and McNamara clans in 1425 and has survived virtually unchanged. Now there is a museum on the castle’s territory opened in 1960. There are collections of antique wooden furniture decorated with carvings and tapestries of the XV-XVI centuries.

The park, near the castle, shows Irish life in the Victorian era. Visitors can explore shops and houses typical of the time, collected from all over Ireland. Antique utensils, detailed furnishings and the smallest decoration elements create a real-life atmosphere typical of an 18th century Irish settlement. Bunratty Castle is a very popular attraction. This is not only due to its proximity to the airport, but also to the medieval banquets held in the castle. In summer, tourists are invited to the Banquet Hall in the evenings, where musicians play and girls dressed in national costumes serve at the tables.

9. Kell Abbey

64 kilometres from Dublin there is a monastery founded by St Columba in 554. The building – “Columba’s House” – has survived. For defence against numerous enemies, an Irish round tower was erected. The Abbey became famous because the main part of the legendary Book of Kells was created within its walls, which was kept there until 1650, when the book, by order of Cromwell, was not transferred to Dublin. It is currently housed at Trinity College in the capital. The Abbey was featured in the famous animated film The Secret of Kells in 2009, making it a popular tourist destination in Ireland.

10. Jameson Distillery Museum

The Jameson Distillery Museum is a unique Irish attraction that most tourists and visitors to Dublin are keen to visit. The most famous brand of Irish national drink has been created here since 1780. Visitors will be taken on a real journey into the world of the past, the history of the drink’s creation, and tasting it. The Jameson Whiskey brand is considered one of the most popular – annual sales amount to more than 2 million cases. A resident of Ireland, John Jameson, established the production of this alcoholic beverage in 1780. Increased demand helped the rapid growth of the enterprise and by 1823 Jameson Distillery took the second place in whisky production in Ireland. In the 20th century, the company went through many ups and downs, and then in 1975, the main production was transferred to the newly built distillery in Cork, and the old distillery began to continue to work as a demonstration production, partly combined with a museum.

The World Casino Expert team would like to thank the readers who explored our piece on the best attractions in Ireland!

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Bunratty Castle https://www.irelandgenweb.com/bunratty-castle/ Fri, 12 May 2023 08:51:00 +0000 https://www.irelandgenweb.com/?p=65 The massive and formidable medieval castle of Bunratty is located in County Clare in the eponymous village of Bunratty near the town of Shannon.

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The massive and formidable medieval castle of Bunratty is located in County Clare in the eponymous village of Bunratty near the town of Shannon. This castle has a long history. Back in 1425 it was built by the Irish clan McNamara on the site of the citadel of a former Viking trading town, built in the tenth century. Then there were more castles built here in 1250 and 1318, which were also destroyed. And the castle we see now is the last fourth version of the construction, which has managed to stand and has survived well to this day. Some time after its construction, the castle was in the possession of the O’Brien family. The building was badly destroyed in 1641 during the Irish Rebellion, but it was rebuilt five years later. From the eighteenth century Bunratty Castle was owned by the Studdert family. At the beginning of the nineteenth century they left the castle to move to a more comfortable and elegant palace, and the ancient structure gradually began to deteriorate from lack of maintenance and timely repairs.

Already in our days, the castle was recognized as a cultural heritage site, in the period from 1945 to 1954, the state carried out a global restoration there, so that he renewed could return all its medieval splendor. Its interiors were filled with antique furniture, household items and art, priceless tapestries, and the rooms and halls were returned to their original luxurious décor, characteristic of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Any object of art here is complemented by an information plaque on its origin. Today Bunratty Castle is considered one of the best preserved in Ireland, with a rich collection of medieval furniture and tapestries. Medieval-style feasts are often held in its sumptuous halls.
Tourists enjoy getting to know not only the castle, but also the village where it stands, because here they have the opportunity to visit local farms and fishermen’s cottages, learn about traditional crafts, be photographed in national costumes, taste amazing food, watch historical scenes, which are often held in the castle for the entertainment of guests. It is very pleasant to walk through the garden surrounding the castle, it was created in strict Victorian style, there are a lot of flowers, fruits and vegetables.

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Blarney Castle https://www.irelandgenweb.com/blarney-castle/ Thu, 16 Feb 2023 08:49:00 +0000 https://www.irelandgenweb.com/?p=62 This ancient castle is one of the symbols of freedom-loving Ireland, located in the village of Blarney, a suburb of the small city of Cork.

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This ancient castle is one of the symbols of freedom-loving Ireland, located in the village of Blarney, a suburb of the small city of Cork. Blarney Castle was erected in 1446 on the site of an earlier castle, built in 1210, which was later replaced by a flimsy wooden structure of the tenth century. The castle was built by Dermot McCarthy, who built a very powerful five-storey fortress with thick walls and a network of secret underground passages and hidden caves, so that in the event of a siege of Blarney, the owners could quickly escape without jeopardizing their lives. These secret passages served the owners of the castle very well in the seventeenth century, when Lord Brogill laid siege to the castle and even managed to break through these powerful walls inside, but what was his surprise when, once inside the castle grounds, he found not a single living soul, and in addition, all valuables were also taken out of Blarney by the owners.

Tour guides will tell you numerous real stories and legends associated with the castle. One of them is the story of how the owner of Blarney Castle was able to refuse the powerful Queen Elizabeth the First of England in transferring ownership of the structure. According to the story, the queen dreamed of gaining possession of this magnificent castle, and the desire of the ruler in those years was the law. But the wise owner of Blarney was not ready to give up his ancestral property, although he did not dare to say so openly either. When another envoy came from the queen on this issue, he welcomed him with feasts, treats, hunting, gifts, said a lot of pleasantries, passed letters to the queen with many compliments, assurances of eternal loyalty, but the desired gift – the castle Blarney did not offer to accept. Since then a new term “to blarney” was introduced in the English language, i.e. “to flatter” – to have sweet but useless conversations.

On the grounds of Blarney Castle there is a very beautiful Gothic style house “Blarney House”, built in the eighteenth century, however, the original structure in 1820 burned out in a fire, and the new one was rebuilt a little apart in 1874. It is open to tourists from April to May on Fridays and Saturdays.

The garden of Blarney Castle is another rather mysterious place, where you can feel some mystical atmosphere. It is home to such artifacts as: “Rock Close” – an ancient pagan altar, the Circle of Druids, the Witches’ Kitchen. An interesting place is the “Witches’ Staircase” – it is a green split rock, inside of which you can walk on slippery steps, and you should make a wish and close your eyes so that during your passage on the stairs little elves will fulfill your wish. The gardens around Blarney Castle appeared in the eighteenth century, they were laid out between centuries-old oaks, intertwining the corners of nature with man-made masterpieces of landscape design.

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Ashford Castle https://www.irelandgenweb.com/ashford-castle/ Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:44:00 +0000 https://www.irelandgenweb.com/?p=56 Ashford Castle is one of the most beautiful historical landmarks in the west of Ireland. It stands at the confluence of the River Cong into Loch Corrib,

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Ashford Castle is one of the most beautiful historical landmarks in the west of Ireland. It stands at the confluence of the River Cong into Loch Corrib, right on the border of the two counties of Meioh and Galway. Ashford Castle was begun in 1228 for representatives of the aristocratic Norman de Burgh family, who later changed the spelling of their surname to “Bourke”. Powerful medieval castle three and a half centuries belonged to this powerful family, which proudly called themselves descendants of the native Irish and did not recognize the power of the English. In 1584 Richard Bingham became the governor of Connacht, where the castle stood. He was a rather cruel man, and many noble families of the region, including the de Burkeys, rose up against him. Then Sir Bingham sentenced to hang several representatives of this clan at once.

In 1587 the opposing forces concluded a peace agreement, and two years later Bingham took possession of Ashford Castle, making it a well-fortified enclave, where he was a real “king” and could do various cruelties. The Queen of England soon tired of the regular complaints about Bingham’s atrocities causing more unrest in Ireland and ordered him to leave the area. In the first quarter of the eighteenth century, the ancient Ashford Castle was purchased by Baron Oranmore Brown, who remodeled the ancient fortress structure into an elegant French-style palace. In 1852, this aristocratic Irish estate was bought by local businessman Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, a descendant of the man who opened the famous Guinness brewery.

Today the magnificent Ashford Castle-Hotel attracts tourists with its graceful medieval crenellated towers, beautiful parapets, numerous galleries and lancet windows. To get to the gate, you need to cross the bridge over the River Cong, crowned with watchtowers on both sides. The castle interiors are no less delightful. There are eighty-five rooms, and all of them are luxuriously decorated, furnished with antique furniture, decorated with filigree wood carvings and works of world art. Each room of the hotel is unique, its decor is original and inimitable. It is not for nothing that representatives of royal and aristocratic families of Europe, famous world celebrities often stay in this hotel. Hotel praise should be given to the castle cuisine and chic restaurant, it is located in the “George V Hall”. The restaurant is staffed by chef Stefan Matz, who was named “Ireland’s Best Chef” in 2010. The restaurant can serve one hundred and fifty guests at a time, they are accommodated in the “winter” room, from the windows of which you can see the panorama of the lake and the river. There is also a “summer” Connacht hall, it can serve fifty people at a time. Here the interior is cozier and softer, there is a fireplace, the walls are decorated with carved wooden panels.

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Manderley Castle https://www.irelandgenweb.com/manderley-castle/ Sun, 07 Aug 2022 08:47:00 +0000 https://www.irelandgenweb.com/?p=59 This utterly charming historic landmark in the Irish capital Dublin, currently owned by singer Enya, was formerly known as Victoria Castle, but was renamed by its eccentric new owner.

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This utterly charming historic landmark in the Irish capital Dublin, currently owned by singer Enya, was formerly known as Victoria Castle, but was renamed by its eccentric new owner. The charming medieval-style Victoria Castle, with its crenellated turrets and magnificent garden around it, was erected in 1840 to commemorate the day of Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. The architect Robert Warren was in charge of the construction. The castle was surrounded by magnificent gardens, which occupied fourteen thousand square meters, and from the lancet windows of the castle you could see the Irish coast, up to the lands of Wales.

From the castle under the gardens there was a secret passage leading to Killiney beach, but this tunnel is now bricked up. The interiors of the castle were magnificent and opulent, decorated with unique masterpieces of art. Unfortunately, in 1928 there was a big fire in the castle, during which almost everything was burnt out. The restoration of the castle was undertaken by architect Thomas Power, who renamed the structure into “Ayesha Castle”, alluding to the goddess from the novel, who was reborn from the fire element. In 1995, the owners of the castle – representatives of the Aylmer family – arranged in the premises of the former stables residential apartments and a gallery, which was named “Equestrian” to attract tourists. An exhibition of works by Irish and European painters was opened there.

Since 1997, the castle has been owned by Irish singer Enya. She paid great attention to her safety in this huge building: she surrounded the castle with a real fortress wall three meters high and replaced the gates. Despite this, in 2005, burglars tried to break into Manderley Castle twice, and both times the mistress was at home. Fortunately, the robbery attempts failed. Despite the fact that today Manderley Castle is a private area, many tourists say that they managed to visit it by direct arrangement with the singer Enya. If you get the urge, try to visit it as well.

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