Askeaton Castle was built by William De Burgo in 1199. It stands on a small island in the River Deel. During the Desmond rebellion in 1580 the walls were blown when news was heard of the of the fall of nearby Carrigafoyle Castle. It was finally dismantled as a viable fortress by Cromwellian forces in 1652. The shell remains today but there are fragments of a 13th century wall and a 15th century Banqueting hall. The castle stands by the bridge in Askeaton and is surrounded in this wonderful little heritage town by it's own Hellfire Club to the east and the nearby ruins of the Franciscan friary built in 1389. When we visited, the castle was closed to the public as some structural renovation was being conducted but we were regailed with all sorts of information by a very helpful lady in the tourist office by the bridge.
To reach Askeaton take the N69 from Limerick. Parking is readily available near the tourist office.
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ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite hidden castles is Dundrum Castle in Dundrum, Dublin. It's next to the shopping centre. Very few people realise there's an actual Medieval castle there - shame they didn't do anything with it. It would have made a great feature. Maybe nice to do
ReplyDelete... a post about it? Give me shout if you need more info.
DeleteJ
Hi Justin, Thanks for checing the blog out.Believe it or not I grew up in Dundrum! I tried to visit the Castle a couple of years ago when I was in the area but it appears that it is screted behind the scenes in a gated community. I suspect that there might be access from the main road over fences and through trees. Have you heard of any way to access?
DeleteI tried to get there twice, but it's behind an apartment block and you’d have to scale a fence. I got as far as getting a glimpse from the bridge. There’s a youtube video where two guys access it. It’s a shame they didn’t include the castle in the overall development of the area. It would have made a lovely feature.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you’re familiar with the OSI maps, but the OSI published historic maps online (1829 and 1842), all the castles on your blog are visible and you get a sense what the area was like back then. Great resource.
Hi Justin, I love those OS maps. They have helped me a lot in rural areas to find locations. It's especially good when you can overlap modern maps on the older ones
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