Swords Castle Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Swords Castle
Caisleán Shoird

Bridge Street, Swords, Dublin
Clockwise, from top: Swords Castle wall with Constable’s Tower; The Chapel, Swords Castle; interior of the Constable's Tower; Swords Castle from Main Street, Swords
Swords Castle
Coordinates	53°27′34″N 6°13′12″W / 53.459489°N 6.220015°W / 53.459489; -6.220015
Site information
Owner	Fingal County Council
Open to the public	Yes
Site history
Built	Around 1200 AD
Built by	John Comyn (bishop)
In use	Still in use today
Designations

National Monument of Ireland
Reference no.	340

Swords Castle is an old castle found in Swords, Dublin, Ireland. It was built around the year 1200 for the Archbishops of Dublin. The castle sits near the Ward River.

Over time, parts of the castle fell into disrepair. However, it was still used in the 16th and 17th centuries. During the 1641 Rebellion, it was a meeting place for Anglo-Irish Catholic families.

In the early 1900s, Swords Castle became a protected national monument. The Office of Public Works took care of it. Since the late 1900s, the castle has been slowly restored. Today, parts of it are open for tours. It is also listed as a protected building by Fingal County Council.

What Does Swords Castle Look Like?
- Key Features of the Castle
  - The Castle Chapel
The History of Swords Castle
Images for kids
See also

What Does Swords Castle Look Like?

The castle was built as a large home for the first Anglo-Norman Archbishop of Dublin, John Comyn. This happened around 1200 in Swords, just north of Dublin city.

Swords Castle was not built to be a strong military fort. But it is special because its outer wall is very long, about 305 meters. This wall encloses a big, five-sided area of almost 6,000 square meters (1.5 acres).

Key Features of the Castle

The castle has a tower on its north side. This tower was likely where the Constable (the person in charge of the castle) lived. There is also an impressive main entrance on the south side.

Inside the castle walls, there were several buildings. These included the archbishop's own rooms and rooms for knights. There was also a large hall for banquets and feasts. The gatekeeper probably lived in the rooms to the left of the main gate. The janitor's room was to the right, with the priest's room above it.

The Castle Chapel

The chapel next to the castle was built in the late 1200s. It was probably used as the archbishop's private prayer room. Other buildings, mentioned in records from 1326, have since disappeared. This includes a large hall on the east side of the castle area.

The History of Swords Castle

A religious settlement, started by St. Columba (also called Colmcille), existed in Swords from the 500s. By the 1600s, it was controlled by the Archbishop of Dublin.

In 1181, John Comyn became archbishop. He likely chose Swords as his main home. This was probably because the church land in Swords was very rich. In 1192, he was allowed to hold a week-long fair there every year. It is believed that the castle was then built around 1200 as his main residence.

The archbishop had his own manager, called a seneschal, at Swords. A church court was also held there. In 1216, the Swords area was given to Henry de Loundres, the next English Archbishop. Records show that in 1220, a man named William Galrote was the chief constable of the castle.

The castle in 1792

The castle in 1820

Why Was the Castle Abandoned?

Archbishops of Dublin used the castle for about 100 years. But then, Archbishop Alexander de Bicknor built a new palace in Tallaght in 1324. It seems Swords Castle was left empty around this time.

In 1326, de Bicknor was accused of mismanaging money. The king took control of his profits, and an investigation was held. This investigation described Swords Castle in detail. It showed that the castle was in bad condition.

The castle was likely abandoned because of damage from the Bruce campaign in Ireland in 1317. This war caused a lot of destruction from Dundalk down to Dublin. Swords Castle was not strong enough to defend itself. So, the Archbishop probably moved to Tallaght for safety.

Later Use and Restoration

It is doubtful if all the castle buildings were ever fully repaired. However, its stepped walls suggest it was used in some way during the 1400s. During this time, it seems the castle was given to archbishops who had retired. But there is no proof that any of them actually lived there.

Instead, at least part of the castle was likely used by a constable from the 1300s to the early 1500s. In 1547, Thomas Fitzsimons of Swords was made constable. Later, the Barnewall family also had an interest in managing and renting the castle. But by 1583, when some Dutch Protestants briefly lived there, it was called "the quite spoiled old castle."

The Constable's Tower, Swords Castle

During the 1641 Rebellion, Anglo-Irish Catholic families met at the castle. They gathered there on December 9 to join the rebellion. But they were attacked by Sir Charles Coote. Coote chased them away and killed many. Some bones found during recent digs at the castle might be from this event.

The Constable's Tower seen through the entrance to Swords Castle

Not much is known about the castle after this. An old map from 1837 shows that the castle grounds were turned into a garden. After the Church of Ireland was no longer the official church in 1870, the castle was sold to the Cobbe family. They rented it to a local shopkeeper, Robert Savage. Savage used the castle grounds as an orchard and sold the fruit in his shop.

In the 1930s, the Office of Public Works took over the castle's care. In 1985, Dublin County Council (now Fingal County Council) bought the castle. They planned to restore it.

Swords Castle Today

The Parks Department of Fingal County Council studied the castle area. In 1995, a plan was approved to restore the castle step by step. Work began in 1996 on the Constable's Tower and finished in 1998.

The rest of the castle is still being restored. Once it is complete, Swords Castle is expected to be a major tourist spot. The newly fixed castle was used as a filming location for the TV show The Tudors in 2010. In 2019, the chapel started hosting weddings. Swords Castle and its courtyard are open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday.