Tremblestown Castle Co Meath

                                            Above Image: The meadow entrance

                                             Above Image: The East facing view

                                             Above Image: The Bow Projection

                                          Above Image: The Vaulted ground floor

                           Above Image: The South facing view with original tower



The Castle of Tremblestown or Trimblestown as it was formerly known is a four storied tower house built in the 1400's by the Barnewell family. In the 1700's a huge three storied mansion was added and further additions such as crenellations were made to the building in the 1800's making it a distinctively decorative abode.
The great house was surrounded by landscaped gardens containing many exotic flora and fauna many acquired by the well travelled 12th Lord. This very fine and ornate estate was abandoned by 1900 and subsequently fell into ruin.
I have wanted to visit this Castle for ages but its location on farmland and away from any roads made it elusive. Then by happenstance one day I discovered on a map what looked to be a lane way leading from the Kildalkey road near abouts to the location of the Castle.
On reaching Kildalkey road just outside of Trim we found that the lane had a large gate swung open as there were several houses just beyond and this would be their access point. We were able to drive about halfway up the lane before it suddenly became more of a track so we abandoned the car and continued on foot. We could see the silhouette of the Castle in the distance.
It took us about 15 minutes to pass through two more open field gates until we finally reached a closed gate at a meadow and here visible at about 100 metres away was the Castle. Looking back at the track that we had travelled it looked to a conduit for moving cattle from one field to another but there were no cows or indeed people around. The absence of any prohibitive signs made our minds up quickly that we would push on. We found the last gate unlocked and so entered closing it behind us.
Tremblestown must have been a wonderful building in its time. The grandiose bow projection window on the East side is definitely its most dominant feature. This must have streamed plentiful daylight into its rooms and hallways in the morning time. Now it is partially covered by ivy clogging up the window openings.
We found a way in through a doorway under the great window and this brought us into what appears to be a loft area sitting just above the ground level with its huge barrel vaulted ceiling. There is no access to any other upper levels, any stairs now disappeared and there is a lot of rubble strewn about with tree branches winding their way through the loft. I got a great sense of sadness here, a fine house so recently left abandoned to decay. I'm not sure why this was but perhaps somebody reading might know more.
The interior offered little more to us and looked a bit unstable in parts, but it was a joy to walk around the exterior with its tall tower still standing proudly. To the South and East the land sweeps downward from the Castle to the Tremblestown river, a tributary of the great Boyne river which irrigates the area.
We stayed as long as we dared but I still felt that somehow we were trespassing so we quit while we were ahead. I'm glad we got a chance to view this once great house which even today in its ruinous state is still quite striking.
To find Tremblestown Castle take the Kildalkey road out of Trim and drive for approx. 1.5km. You will pass the entrance on your right to the Glebe golf course. About 1km further take the 2nd right hand turn which is the lane way leading to the Castle. This lane forks at a diagonal from the road. You can drive up part of the way or park at the lane entrance (leaving room for access) and continue on foot. From here it would take about 25 minutes to reach the Castle.

Old Donaghcumper Church Co Kildare

                                          Above Image: The gabled porch

                                         Above Image: The arched interior

                                          Above Image: The East gable

                                             Above Image: A sea of grass

                                       Above Image: Don't fence me in.......

                             Above Image: Is this the last stop for Donaghcumper?

                                             Above Image: The west gable

                                         Above Image: The entrance stile.



Visiting an ancient Church ruin on a fine summer's evening is fine but I wouldn't have imagined that I might also have needed to bring along a machete!
The Medieval ruins of Donaghcumper are located less than 1KM from Celbridge village on the Dublin road  and were constructed mostly in the12th century with a few features added 200 years later. What remain today are portions of the nave and chancel. The Church was suppressed in the 16th century and the lands acquired by the Alen family whose family vault is evident within by a flat slab stone with inscriptions just beneath the East window of the chancel. The Church is listed as ruinous on the 1897 O/S map but I would imagine it was in decline long before that date. Indeed an Alex & Taylor 1783 map lists the site as Ch. Rs.  (Church Ruins?)
The East gable features an Ogee-headed window still intact and the West gable extends to house a belfry. A rounded arch divides the nave from the chancel and the South facing side has an unusual gabled porch.
This is all very nice but unfortunately now it is next to impossible to get any closer than a few yards from the ruins as they have been fenced off by a builder with warning signs and disclaimers strewn about. The walls on the North end appear to be buttressed with wooden lats to avoid them collapsing and although these ruins are under the care of the OPW there doesn't seem to be much more happening to protect them. Indeed the surrounding mound on which the ruins stand is very heavily overgrown and the ditch around the mound is now a sea of tall grass and nettles hence the need for the aforementioned machete. I had heard that the grass was regularly cut and this may be the case in the adjoining modern graveyard but the ruins are slowly being swallowed up.
Not to be deterred from getting at least a reasonably safe closer look we entered by the roadside stile and wandered around the circumference of the ruins treading carefully to avoid any hidden potholes beneath the undergrowth and climbing over the many ancient headstones that seemed to be leaning away from the mound towards the lower ground. It was a tricky trek but there were enough gaps in the fences to get some decent photos. The interior is in a sad state but a lot of weeding and gravelling would work wonders. I'm sure that these ruins are fairly unstable and that the OPW are fencing them off for health & safety reasons, but I would really like to see some serious wok done to protect this Church from deteriorating any further. There is a lot of local interest in this venture so perhaps one day it will be possible to wander around the interior as there may be other interesting features to unfold. Until then if you are visiting take extreme care around the vicinity of the ruins but personally I found them quite interesting to see and was amused by the occasional bus which would stop at the crenellated perimeter wall, it's passengers gawping out at the two maniacs stomping their way through the long grass.
To find Donaghcumper ruins take the M4 Dublin to Galway motorway and exit at Junction 6. At the top of the ramp take the exit for the R449. Drive until you reach a roundabout with a semi-circular modern iron sculpture on it and turn left for Celbridge. Drive until you enter the village. Continue up the main street until you reach a left turn onto the R403 opposite "The Village Inn". Cross over the bridge on the River Liffey and continue on the main road to the left for approx. 1KM. You will spot the ruins on your right and there is enough room to park at the entrance stile.

Lanestown Castle Co Dublin

                         Above Image: The East side ( to the right) with evidence of
                                              non extant attached building

                           

                  

                               Above Image: The Castle in picturesque parkland

 

                                Above Image: The original entrance door (facing)

 

This 15th century Tower House is tucked away closely against woodland like a disobedient child told to stand in the corner. It is situated on the lands belonging to Newbridge House Demesne in Donabate Co Dublin. The tower was probably part of the £10 Castle scheme devised in 1429 by King Henry VI where a landowner would be paid said £10 if he built a Defensive Tower to aid in protecting The Pale.
The tower walls are still in good shape standing to full height and records state that it was inhabited until at least the 1700's. Following that it fell into disrepair and was utilised over subsequent years, amongst other things, as a byre. It has flanking towers at the South West and North East corners. The East facing wall bears evidence of a once attached large building which would have been added later to the original structure but has now long since disappeared. The North facing wall features the entrance door although there appears to be a secondary door on the West side.
I wasn't sure what access there was to this Castle it being located on a demesne. Newbridge House is open to the public and the lands operated by Fingal County Council with the Castle ruin situated about 100m inside the entrance gates. The road outside offers no parking and the driveway inside the demesne is a no parking zone monitored by CCTV. All that was left to us to do was to take the long driveway up to the House and use the parking facilities there, then walk back towards the gate. The day we visited was a gloriously sunny one and it was actually quite pleasurable a walk.
While there is a throng of visitors up at the house and adjacent adventure park, poor old Lanestown Castle sits solitarily huddled against the trees. To our disappointment I think we found out why. Its bricked up.
Within this tower there is a barrel vaulted roof and a spiral stairs intact, but the Council (probably for safety reasons) have sealed up all of the doors. A few years back there apparently was some sort of access through a hole in the West facing door but this too has been shored up. A real pity as I would have liked to have climbed this tower. So all we are offered to see now is the exterior which is nonetheless interesting with its crenellations and turrets, so if in the area it is worth your time to stop and view. I also really like the location of this ruin in it's picturesque surroundings. Perhaps one day the Council could reopen the tower and renovate it a little giving people a chance to see inside. Its a shame to leave it as it is especially with the amount of visitors to the park. It's  a good example of its type and deserves better treatment.
To find the ruins take the M1 Dublin to Dundalk motorway and exit at junction 4. Turn right at the top of the exit ramp onto the R132 and cross over the motorway bridge to the roundabout on the other side. Take the right hand exit onto the R126 for Donabate. Drive for approx. 2KM and you will see the entrance gates on your left for Newbridge house. Once inside the gates you will see the ruins on your left a few metres on. Park in the car park up at the House for convenience.

Castleruddery Stone Circle Co Wicklow

                          Above Image: The stones are distributed over a wide area

                              Above Image: The entrance stile by the roadside

                                       Above Image: The entrance stones

                                      Above Image: some interesting indents

It is always nice when seeking out ruins that from time to time you come across some ancient megalithic sites along the way. This particular stone circle is one of the more interesting ones to be found of those dotted around the country.
Dating most likely to the Bronze Age it consists of  between 35 to 40 stones in a 30 metre wide circle. The circle is surrounded by an earthen bank with an opening on the Eastern side. Two huge quartz boulders form an entrance to the circle itself and it is amazing to ponder how difficult it must have been to place them here. The stones surrounding are either upright or recumbent and some have cup indents similar to those found in Bullaun stones.
When we visited the grass had been cut back a bit exposing the circle at probably its best. I always get a great sense of history walking among these stones and also a sense that they were of some importance. The old name of this formation "The Druidical Circle" lends some evidence to this. Perhaps some ancient ceremonies took place here which makes the site all the more mysterious.
A single tall standing stone is also adjacent to the entrance boulders as if keeping watch.
The circle lies on farmland but a very decent and sturdy stile has been erected at the roadside along with an information board. A fenced lane way leads you directly to the stones without having to intrude on the private farmland. It is best visited on a bright day when the sunlight reflects off the quartz.
To find the circle take the N81 Dublin to Tullow road and approx. 20Km out of Blessington you will spot a sign for The Glen Lounge and a road forking to the left. There is also here a sign clearly pointing to the stone circle itself. Take the left turn and drive for approx. 900m passing through a small crossroads and you will see a small pull in space on your right. The wooden stile is clearly visible.

Clonmore Castle Co Carlow

                             Above Image: The remaining tower is in a bad state

                                          Above Image: a vaulted chamber

                                   Above Image: Part of a stairwell at the top.

                                             Above Image: The courtyard

                         Above Image: The trefoil window and "Pooka" head above it

                                       Above Image: The North East view



The very extensive but ragged remains of Clonmore Castle stand imposingly on the Western end of the quiet village of Clonmore in Co.Carlow. It is believed to have been constructed in the late 12th century perhaps by Hugh DeLacey and was modified in 1332 by Anthony DeLucy.
The Castle suffered many attacks and seizing's over time by among others The Earl of Kildare in 1516 and The Earl of Ormond in 1598. The Castle also changed hands many times, the Butlers being one family thought to have resided there. It finally came under attack in 1650 by Cromwellian forces led by Colonel Hewson and it was overrun.
I've been in Carlow many times visiting such Castles as Leighlinbridge and Ballymoon (See earlier posts) but Clonmore only came to light recently when I came across it by pure accident while studying a map. After a bit of further research I thought this was too significant a structure to be overlooked so we took a trip down on a weekend evening to check it out.
Arriving in Clonmore on a Sunday evening the village was literally deserted, not a person to be seen, we thought we had driven into Brigadoon!
The Castle lies on pastureland very close to the roadside, fenced off with a few cows wandering in and out of the ruins. There were no prohibitive signs but the field gate was chained and locked so we went to a nearby bungalow to seek permission to access but we were scared off by two large Dogs who tried to chew their way through the gate to get at us. Good luck with that idea. We also tried to gain access by another gate adjacent to the Eastern wall but it offered no entry to the field either. With nobody around to ask we just went ahead and climbed over the fence at the roadside. Our approach dispersed the cows who retreated to the rear of the ruins.
The field in which we stood was once the courtyard, the ruins extending around three sides. The fourth or southern wall was apparently demolished sometime in the past. During the time when the Castle was complete there was a moat surrounding it but of course this has been long since filled in.
The tall rectangular towers on the southern end stand four storeys high with a trefoil window and a small gargoyle head known as a "Pooka" visible on top scowling down at you. The remainder of the manor buildings stand two storeys high.
Inside these sections the ruins are in a very degenerative state, lots of gaping maws and cracks in the walls, some parts being difficult to navigate. There are numerous passageways and chambers that have been invaded by trees and bushes. At one particularly dark orifice we decided not to investigate as we had neglected to bring a torch and we were wary of what pitfalls might lie within.
All in all there is a lot to explore here but with the cattle wandering in and out the ground has become quite muddy in places so a good pair of boots are recommended. Also if visiting do be aware of the state of the ruins, while interesting to explore there are some very unstable parts so take care at all times.
To find Clonmore Castle, take the N81 Dublin to Tullow road and in Baltinglass turn left onto the R747 for Hacketstown. On arrival in Hacketstown take the turn right at the top of the very narrow Bridge St onto Penny Hill. A short way on take the second and sharper of two close together left turns onto slate Row and a few yards on turn right onto the L2005 with the sign for Clonmore. Drive for 6KM until you see the Castle ahead of you. You can park at a small area by the Castle tower.