Robertstown Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robertstown Castle |
|
|---|---|
| Native name Irish: Caisleán Bhaile Riobaird |
|
.jpg) |
|
| Type | fortified house |
| Location | Robertstown, Nobber, County Meath, Ireland |
| Area | Dee Valley |
| Built | early 17th century |
| Official name: Robertstown Castle | |
| Reference no. | 25 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
Robertstown Castle is an old, strong house, also known as a fortified house, located in County Meath, Ireland. It's so important that it's officially protected as a National Monument of Ireland. This means it's a special historical site that the country wants to preserve.
Contents
Where is Robertstown Castle?
Robertstown Castle is found on the land of Robertstown House. It sits about halfway between two towns, Moynalty and Nobber. The castle is in the beautiful Dee Valley.
The O'Reilly Family Connection
For a long time, Robertstown Castle and the surrounding land belonged to the O'Reilly family. They were a well-known family in the area. The land was eventually sold after Valentine O'Reilly passed away.
The last O'Reilly family members to live near the castle were Valentine and Kay O'Reilly. Their children, Stephanie, Pauline, Patricia, Charles, Joan, and Bernadette, used to play inside the castle ruins. This was back in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, the castle ruins are protected, and people are not allowed to go inside. This helps keep the old structure safe from damage.
The History of Robertstown Castle
Robertstown Castle was built a long time ago, in the early 1600s. This was just a few years after a big conflict in Ireland called the Nine Years' War. This war ended in 1603. The castle was built as a strong home, designed to protect its residents.
Later, another part was added to the castle. This new section, called the north wing, made the castle even bigger.
What Robertstown Castle Looks Like
Robertstown Castle is a fortified house, which means it was built to be strong and defendable. It has three floors.
Special Features of the Castle
- Corner Towers: On two opposite corners of the castle, you can see square bartizans. These are like small, projecting towers that stick out from the main building. They were often used for watching out or for defense.
- Support Stones: These small towers are held up by special carved stones called corbelling. This type of support is also seen in some Scottish castles.
- Window Shapes: The castle has unique openings called loopholes. These are shaped like keyholes, narrow on the outside and wider on the inside. They allowed people inside to shoot arrows or guns while staying protected.
- Inside the Castle: The ground floor of the castle has several rooms with arched ceilings, known as vaulted rooms. The first floor above that has three more rooms.
