Threecastles Castle

Threecastles Castle
Native name Caisleán Bhaile na dTrí Chaosleán
Location Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland
Coordinates 53°10′54″N 6°29′15″W / 53.18173°N 6.48738°W / 53.18173; -6.48738Coordinates: 53°10′54″N 6°29′15″W / 53.18173°N 6.48738°W / 53.18173; -6.48738
Built 1500s
Reference no. 491[1]

Threecastles Castle is a National Monument situated in Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland.

Description

Threecastles Castle is a rectangular three-storey tower house, with a stair turret projecting from the north east corner. Originally there was a structure attached to the west side of the tower, as the remnants of a barrel vault are visible. Another vaulted roof is evident on the upper floor. On the first floor has a fireplace and a gardrobe.[2][3] The walls are four to five feet thick, and are faced with cut granite. The castle sits on an east facing slope overlooking a ford on the River Liffey.[4]

History

The history of the castle is unclear, but it is believed that due to the castle's name there were more than one castle in the townsland.[2] Of the other two castles, the site of one is known from a 19th-century Ordnance Survey, the third castle's site is unknown. It was probably built by Lord Deputy Gerald Fitzgerald, 8th earl of Kildare, in the 16th-century. It was the site of a number of battles in the 1500s.[4] Though some speculate that the three refers to the castle having three parts.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Monuments of County Wicklow in State Care" (PDF). National Monument Service. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Threecastles Castle". Irish Antiquities. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  3. ↑ "Threecastles Castle". Megalithic Ireland. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 O'Byrne, Emmett (13 July 2011). "Site was scene of bitter fighting, Wicklow History: Three Castles". Wicklow People. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Placenames around Blessington". Blessington.info. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
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