The Grey Abbey Co Kildare

                                    Above Image: View from the boardwalk

                                      Above Image: The terrible state of things


The Grey Abbey (named after the colour of it's Monk's habits) was founded for the Franciscans by William De Vesci around 1254AD. Under the Fitzgeralds it remained an important site until it became part of the dissolution of Abbeys in 1539. It is Known that several Earls of Kildare are interred on these grounds.
The Abbey is in a very sad state at the moment. The walls appear  in places to be close to collapse and are propped up by wooden buttresses and timber supports. The East gable is still standing but the other walls have suffered badly. The ruin is overgrown quite a bit and all in all is looking decrepit. I always find it a shame that sites like these are not cared for more and kept in as good a shape as possible as they are part of the rich historical heritage of this country.
The ruins lie just South of Kildare Town on the Grey Abbey Road. As they are situated within a walled graveyard, you will need to enter by way of a stile in the wall or the gate (if open). The first thing you will meet is a lot of wire fencing around the ruins and a large sign saying "Danger Keep Out" This is not here for no reason as explained the ruins are in a bad state. Someone it seems has trampled down part of the wire on the North facing side allowing access to the interior. As there is no roof to collapse in and a fairly wide gap in the wall we took a chance and had a quick look inside. The ground is uneven and overgrown but we did not get too close to the actual walls.
I would in hindsight not recommend crossing the beaten down fence as having done so on impulse I can see how dangerous a condition these ruins are in, but I felt in this instance the opportunity was afforded to make some record of the site  before it degenerates further. The ruins are bordered on the Southern side by a boardwalk from the Kildare Shopping Outlet and safely give a good if not slightly distant view.
To find The Grey Abbey, take the M7 Motorway from Dublin and take the junction 13 exit. Turn left at the roundabout at the top of the exit ramp onto the R415. A few yards later take the first left turn onto Grey Abbey Road. Drive for about 700 yards and you will see the ruins to your left. Parking is limited on the road but we parked conveniently in the car park of the supermarket opposite the graveyard.



SECOND VISIT APRIL 2016

                              Above & Below Images: The all new brighter version!

Took a second visit here to the Grey Abbey and things have really changed in the four years that have passed since I first visited here. The Abbey has been completely cleared of overgrowth and allows the ruins to breathe again. Features such as arched windows can now be discerned more clearly. A smaller more practical wooden fence surrounds it and still contain the alarming "Danger Keep Out" signs. Yet there is still a break in the fence on the North side which allows you to wander in around the ruins. Really worth a visit now, just follow the directions as above.  Many thanks to John Shortland for putting me wise to the renovation.

Ballyboggan Abbey Co Meath

Located about 400 feet from the roadside, in a field behind a wall enclosed graveyard, lie the angular ruins of the Abbey of De Laude Dei at Ballyboggan. This building is one of the least known of the Augustinian Abbeys in Ireland and was first constructed in the 12th century. It was in it's time a popular place of pilgrimage but unfortunately was gutted by fire in 1146 and had to be rebuilt. It suffered again under Henry VIII's suppression of Abbeys and was dissolved in 1538, the lands then given over to the De Berminghams.
The abbey would seem to be constructed in two parts. The eastern facing section has a large arched window in it's gable end while the Western section is now but two long walls. There does appear in this section to be some evidence of a now disappeared large window. The sections are divided by a medium height boundary wall which although has wire fencing running along the top can be traversed at a couple of points.
There are a lot of historical sites in and around Edenderry and we found this Abbey while looking at some De Bermingham Castles nearby. A roadside gate leads up a long lane way adjacent to a graveyard. This brings you directly to the site. The ruins are extensive enough and look quite striking on first view. The eastern section has an entry door and this part is the more complete.Within there is some interesting stonework to be viewed. The other section seems quite divorced as the walls between may have been removed or indeed collapsed over time. The whole layout left today appears quite strange. What does remain are parts of the Nave, the Chancel and the South Transept. The field in which the ruins sit appear to be grazing land (as Cows are present) but there are no prohibitive signs so you can visit both sections easily. One thing though, you will have to hop over  the boundary wall and the ground on that side of the approach to the Western section can be quite spongy and at times muddy so be prepared. Best advice is not to visit on a day when rain is present or just recently fallen.
To find Ballyboggan, take the R401 road from Edenderry toward Kinnegad and drive for about 2 miles.You will pass Carrick Castle (see earlier post here) on your right and about another 2 miles on you will spot the ruins of the Abbey in a meadow on your left hand side. Look for the graveyard entrance gate. There is just about enough room to park at the gate  but it is on a sharp bend and cars tend to come around this bend at speed, so it is advisable to park a little way up the road on the straight.

King John's Castle Co Louth

                                       Above 2 Images: Some interior views

                                          Above Image: The access steps

In 1210AD King John of England is said to have made a three day stay at Carlingford  The Castle he stayed in had been commissioned by Hugh De Lacy in the 1180's and it subsequently became known as King John's Castle. The Castle was constructed in two parts. The original De Lacy section forms the Western part and the eastern section was added in 1261. Further alterations took place in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Castle stands strategically on a rocky outcrop overlooking Carlingford Lough with the majestic Slieve Foy mountain as a backdrop. It stood on the frontier of The Pale and so was in a very defensive position. The town of Carlingford grew healthily in subsequent years in the shadow of the Castle. Carlingford is derived from the Viking Kerlingfjoror which loosely translates as "Narrow Bay of the Hags"
The Castle consisted of two storeys and a basement. The great hall overlooked the lough while the living quarters were situated to the rear. The Castle had several owners over the years and history records that it was laid siege to unsuccessfully by Hugh O'Neill in 1596 and was fired upon by Jacobite's in 1689. It also served some time as a hospital prior to the battle of the Boyne The history becomes more sketchy from there on but records state that some repairs were made by Lord Anglesey in the late 1700's. Following that it appears to have just fallen into ruin.
We have wanted to visit this Castle for some time but were always deterred by reports that it was closed to the Public for safety reasons. Apparently the masonry within is quite brittle and the former basement is filled with it. There are ongoing efforts to shore it up so that it can eventually be reopened. Nonetheless, this ruin is well worth a visit and we were glad that we did in the end. Even though the interior is out of bounds you can still ascend the stone steps from the pier and walk completely around the base of this great ruin high on it's craggy rock. Rails have been added for safety on the lough side of the walkway and the views from this aspect are breathtaking especially on a clear sunny day. The Castle is joined to the Town by a large arched bridge that crosses the road that you arrive on and this makes your first sight of this ruin all the more impressive. The best approach for access is from the pier as the gate on the Town side remains locked.
To find King John's Castle, take the M1 motorway from Dublin to Dundalk and exit for the N52 Dundalk North. Follow the signs for the R173 road to Carlingford .It is about a 20 minute drive and you can park your car on the pier for easy access.

Carrick Castle Co Kildare

                                 Above 2 Images: The ruins of Carrick Church

Carrick (or Carrick-Oris) Castle stands on elevated ground about 3 miles out of Edenderry on the road toward Kinnegad. There is speculation that the present ruin dates from the 15th or 16th century as it's architecture does not quite seem to fit that of the type constructed by Piers De Bermingham in the 13th century, but it is possible that the original building was added to later. De Bermingham himself was involved in the massacre here of 32 of the O'Connor clan in 1305 following a banquet held by him to make peace following a previous incident at a party sponsored for a 12 year old O'Connor boy on his confirmation at which the boy was thrown from the Tower.
The present ruins, originally  a square or possibly an L-shaped Tower house are slowly crumbling away. There are two external walls still standing and some parts of the interior remain. There is also evidence of fireplaces and such. The immediate ground is strewn with rocks as they fall away over time from the walls.
Locally the Hill of Carrick contains a large limestone outcrop called The Witch's Stone. Looking at it , it would have appear to have been an ideal location to build a Castle but the rock has a legend attached to it regarding a Witch who's spell cast this rock at some saintly men and this is the location at which it landed. Superstition at the time being what it was, it probably detracted building there.
Carrick Castle sets a striking pose as you approach it by road. Adjacent to the Castle are the ruins of a 13th century De Bermingham Church of which a reasonable amount remain. It is not a particularly remarkable Church being very basic in design but it affords a good view of the Castle from it's grounds. It is accessible by a stile in the roadside wall.
The Castle itself seemed accessible as there were some metal gates at the roadside, but on closer inspection we discovered that they had barbed wire fencing behind them. The owners it would seem might have insurance concerns. Oddly enough there were no signs indicating "No Trespassing" so we walked up the road  a bit and found another gate leading to the field. It was overlooked by a nearby house but nobody seemed to be around so we hopped over the gate and walked up to the ruins.
It is possible to climb up a way on the interior as far as one of the windows but there is no evidence of a stairwell. It may have been located on one of the missing walls.
The Castle is really just a shell now and has a lot of rubble lying around it. It's hard to imagine that this was once a fine stronghold. There are numerous De Bermingham Castles within reach of Carrick such as Grange and Kinnefad so it worthwhile visiting them all.
To find Carrick, take the R401 road out of Edenderry heading toward kinnegad. About 3 miles later you will see a right hand turn signposted for Carbury (Site of another Castle posted earlier here) Continue on past this turn and the road swerves to the left and you will easily spot the Castle ruins ahead of you on the right hand side. Parking is possible in a small lay-By opposite.