Rathfarnham Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rathfarnham Castle |
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| Caisleán Rath Fearnáin | |
| Near Dublin in Ireland | |
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| Site information | |
| Owner | Ireland (managed by the Office of Public Works) |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | c. 1583 |
| Built by | Adam Loftus |
| Materials | Sandstone |
| Official name | Rathfarnham Castle |
| Reference no. | 628 |
Rathfarnham Castle (which means Caisleán Rath Fearnáin in Irish) is an old castle from the 1500s. It is located in Rathfarnham, South Dublin, Ireland. The castle was first built as a strong, fortified house. Over time, it was changed a lot, especially in the 1700s. Today, the Irish government looks after it. The castle has been fixed up and is open for everyone to visit.
Contents
History of Rathfarnham Castle
How the Castle Started
Before the current castle, there was an older Irish castle on this spot. It was owned by the Harold family. The land then went to the Eustace family. But their land was taken away because they were involved in a big rebellion.
Adam Loftus bought the land when Rathfarnham was a small, quiet village. People believe he built the current castle around 1583. Not long after it was built, in 1600, the castle had to defend itself. Clans from Wicklow attacked it during the Nine Years' War.
The English Civil War and the Castle
Archbishop Loftus left the castle to his son, Dudley. Then it went to Dudley's son, Adam, in 1616. While Adam owned it, the castle was attacked during the 1641 rebellion. The castle managed to hold strong against the attacking army.
Adam Loftus did not agree with stopping the fighting between the Irish and the English Royalists. Because of this, he was put in prison in Dublin Castle.
During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–1653), the castle was taken by different groups many times. From 1641 to 1647, English Royalist soldiers stayed there. In 1647, the Royalist commander gave Dublin to the English Parliament. So, Parliament's soldiers were at the castle.
In 1649, just before the Battle of Rathmines, Royalist soldiers took the castle without a fight. But the Parliament's soldiers took it back after winning the Battle of Rathmines. It is also said that Oliver Cromwell held a meeting there. This was during his journey through Ireland before he attacked Wexford. Adam Loftus got his castle back under Cromwell. He sided with Parliament and died in 1651 during the Siege of Limerick.
After the English Civil War, the Loftus family still owned the castle. In 1659, Dr. Dudley Loftus, who was Archbishop Loftus's great-grandson, took over. Dudley held many important jobs during his life. He was a judge and a member of Parliament for several areas. His body is buried at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Rathfarnham Castle in the 1700s
The castle then passed to Philip Wharton through marriage. Philip lost his money in a financial crisis. In 1723, the castle was sold for a large sum of money to William Conolly. He was a very important speaker in the Irish Parliament.
In 1742, the castle's lease was sold to Dr. John Hoadly, who was the Archbishop of Armagh. When he died four years later, it went to his son-in-law, Bellingham Boyle. In 1767, Boyle sold his share to Nicholas Hume-Loftus. He was a descendant of Adam Loftus, who first built the castle.
Nicholas died a few years later. The estate then went to his uncle, Henry Loftus. Henry became the Earl of Ely in 1771. To celebrate getting the castle back, the Loftus family built a new entrance. It was a Roman-style arch. You can still see this arch from Dodder Park Road today.
Henry Loftus, the Earl of Ely, did a lot of work to change the castle. He turned the old fortified house into a grand Georgian mansion. He hired famous architects like Sir William Chambers and James 'Athenian' Stuart. They made the windows bigger and replaced the battlements with fancy decorations. They also added a round extension and an entrance porch. The inside was decorated beautifully. Famous artists like Angelica Kauffman worked on it. People who visited the castle at that time wrote about how amazing it looked.
Henry died in 1783. His nephew, Charles Tottenham, took over. He later became the Marquess of Ely.
The 1800s and 1900s
In 1812, the family rented out the estate to the Ropers. They moved their valuable belongings to Loftus Hall in County Wexford. The castle and its lands were then used for dairy farming. The castle started to fall apart. One person wrote in 1838 that the once beautiful grounds were now messy. The castle looked old and crumbling. He mentioned that the great hall had a dome painted with zodiac signs. It had fancy marble statues and stained-glass windows. But the castle had become a public dairy farm.
In 1852, the Lord Chancellor, Francis Blackburne, bought the estate. His family lived there for three generations.
Changes to the Estate
In 1912, a company bought the castle. They divided the estate into different parts. The eastern part became the Castle Golf Club. The castle itself and the southwestern part were bought in 1913 by the Jesuit Order. The northwestern part was used for building houses.
The Jesuits are known for their schools and learning. One Jesuit, Father O'Leary, built a special machine called a seismograph. This machine could find earth tremors and earthquakes from all over the world. For a while, Rathfarnham Castle was a place where news about earthquakes came from.
In 1986, the Jesuits sold Rathfarnham Castle. Before they left, they took out the beautiful stained-glass windows. These windows were designed by Harry Clarke. Some were given to a church in Tullamore. Others went to Our Lady's Hospice and Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin.
Saving the Castle
In 1985, the castle was sold to a company. People worried that the castle might be torn down. But there was a lot of public pressure to save it. So, in 1987, the Irish government bought the castle. It was made a National Monument.
The Office of Public Works did a lot of work to fix up the castle. They kept it open to the public during the summer. This allowed visitors to watch the restoration work. They could also see parts of the castle's older history that were found during the process.
Castle Structures
The Castle Building
The castle is a square building with four stories. It has a tower sticking out at each corner. The walls of these towers are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) thick. On the ground floor, there are two arched rooms. They are separated by a wall that is almost 10 feet (3 meters) thick. This wall goes up to the top of the castle. On the same level as the entrance hall are the fancy rooms from the 1700s. Above this floor was once a ballroom, which was later changed into a chapel.
Other Buildings on the Land
To the north of the castle was a long, arched room. It was once called Cromwell's Court or Fort. This was probably a barn or a storage building for the castle farm. Its walls were 5 feet (1.5 meters) thick and had narrow openings. In 1922, it was made part of a new building. Its original look was hidden by a layer of cement.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Rathfarnham para niños
