castles historical carlow

Beside the small and appealing village of Clonegal is the 17th century  Clonegal Castle  or Century Huntington Castle as it also known.. The granite castle was built in 1695 by Lord Esmonde. The castle has been involved in histoical events and lengends. 

It also said to have two ghosts dwelling in the house aswell! 

On the grounds of the castle is the famed Yew tree avenue,  a canopy of yew tress that are said to be set by monks over 70...

Remains consist of square gatehouse of two storeys....

The castle consists of a square central courtyard surrounded by walls which are eight feet thick and twenty feet high, with square towers projecting from three sides. On the fourth side is the gate with a pointed arch and a groove for the portcullis. The interior of the castle is bare, but originally there were two-storey structures built up against the inside walls. However, few traces of these remain, and local tradition explains this by saying that the castle was never finished. There is...

The castle, which was probably built in the 13th century, originally consisted of a large open courtyard fortified by a high curtain wall with a moat outside it. Only a small square tower at one corner survives, as well as the entrance gate, flanked by two large rounded towers. The tower in the north-eastern corner was abandoned in the 14th century, and the whole castle may even have been abandoned at this time. Note the variety of fireplaces. The castle formerly belonged to the Kavanaghs,...

Typical of the late 13th century, the castle is nearly square in plan, with rectangular towers at the two southern corners, and smaller turrets at the other two corners. Remains of the main interior buildings can be seen on the eastern side of the courtyard. While the castle is not mentioned in existing records until the 14th century, the shape of the trefoil window in the south wall shows that it was built probably towards the end of the 13th century. Clonmore was captured by the Earl of Kil...

The original keep was 3 storeys high and was square in shape with stout three-quarter round towers at the corners, but only the eastern half still stands, with its two corner towers and the connecting wall. The entrance was through a door on the first floor of the north side. The topmost storey of the north-western tower dates back to the 15th-16th century.
Although the castle is only first mentioned in 1231, it was probably built by William the Marshall or by his son not long after...

It had a vault over the second storey and a passage-way around the top. In an adjoining garden there are remains of a bawn wall with slits for arrows or guns at the corner. The original 'Black Castle' was built here by Hugh de Lacy in 1180. This was superseded by a Carmelite Friary founded in 1260-70. The present castle is said to have been built by Sir Edward Bellingham in 1547. The site was long held by the Kavanaghs and the Butlers, and was also occupied by Sir Peter Carew and the Bagena...