URPoint Details
Guided tours; toilets; car park. Restricted disabled access.
The largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Hugh de Lacy began construction in about 1172 but the central tower 'the keep' - was not completed until the 1220s.
The twenty-sided tower is three storeys high and was protected by a ditch, a curtain wall and a moat.
Inside the tower were living quarters, a great hall and a small chapel.
The curtain wall, defended by five D-shaped towers and entry to the castle was only through either of the two gates. The Towngate had a portcullis to protect it as well as a 'murder hole'. The other gate, the Dublingate, has a barbican projecting from the tower. Originally the barbican spanned the water filled moat which surrounded the curtain wall and had a drawbridge which was operated from above.
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- History