Drimnagh Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Drimnagh Castle |
|
|---|---|
|
Caisleán Dhroimeanaigh
|
|
Drimnagh Castle c.1820
|
|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°19′30″N 6°19′58″W / 53.324973°N 6.332840°W |
.jpg)
Drimnagh Castle (Irish: Caisleán Dhroimeanaigh) is an old Norman castle found in Drimnagh, a part of Dublin, Ireland. It's very special because it's the only castle in Ireland that still has a moat (a watery ditch) filled with water all around it. This moat gets its water from a small river nearby called the Camac. Right next to the castle, you'll find Drimnagh Castle Secondary School.
Contents
History of Drimnagh Castle
Early Owners and Building the Castle
The first person known to own Drimnagh Castle was Sir Hugh de Bernival. His name appears in old Irish records from 1216. His family, later known as Barnewell, owned Drimnagh Castle for hundreds of years.
The Barnewell family first built a fort here in the mid-1200s. However, the main parts of the castle you see today were built in the early 1400s. Inside the moat, there's a large hall from the 1400s and a tower that was added later, in the 1500s or 1600s. There's also a big stone building from the early 1900s. This building was used as a stable, a ballroom, and a coach house at different times.
By the mid-1800s, the castle was owned by a wealthy person called the Marquess of Lansdowne.
Joseph Hatch and Restoration
In the early 1900s, a dairy farmer named Joseph Hatch bought the castle and its land. He was also a member of the Dublin City Council. Mr. Hatch bought the castle mainly to have grazing land for his cattle.
He also worked to restore the castle, which had fallen into disrepair. Drimnagh Castle then became a summer home for his family. It was also the place where Joseph Hatch and his wife, Mary Connell, celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Their eldest daughter, Mary, also got married there in 1910.
Later Owners and Community Use
After Joseph Hatch passed away in 1918, his eldest son, Joseph Aloysius (known as Louis), took over the castle. Louis and his brother Hugh managed the dairy farm together. The Hatch family lived in Drimnagh Castle until the mid-1950s.
Louis Hatch left the castle to a bishop, who then sold it to the Christian Brothers. They used the castle to run a school until 1956. After that, they moved to their new schools and monastery nearby.
In 1978, a local sports club, An Caisleán Gaelic Athletic Association (now called St James Gaels GAA), took over the castle's coach-house. They fixed it up to create a clubhouse, a hall, a kitchen, and changing rooms for their members.
Modern Restoration and Public Access
By the mid-1980s, the castle was in ruins. Its roofs had fallen, windows were missing, and some walls had collapsed. In 1986, Peter Pearson, an artist working with An Taisce (Ireland's national trust), started a local group. They worked with FÁS (a state training authority) to begin a big project to save and restore the castle.
All the work was done by hand. They built a new oak roof for the great hall, just like roofs from the 1400s. They also created stone windows and used traditional building materials. A formal garden, designed in a medieval style, was also added.
Drimnagh Castle re-opened to the public in 1991. More restoration work continued throughout the 1990s.
Today, Drimnagh Castle offers tours to visitors. You can also rent it for special events like weddings. They even run courses there where you can learn how to build dry stone walls.
Drimnagh Castle in Movies
Drimnagh Castle has been used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows. Some of these include:
- The Abduction Club (2002)
- Ella Enchanted (2004)
- The Tudors (2007)
