Sketrick Castle

54.4879°N 5.6485°W / 54.4879; -5.6485

Sketrick Castle

Sketrick Castle is a castle situated on Sketrick Island near Whiterock, County Down, Northern Ireland. The castle is estimated to date back to the 12th century. Sketrick Castle tower-house and the passage to spring are State Care Historic Monuments in the townland of Sketrick Island, in the Ards and North Down Borough, at grid ref: J5245 6252.[1]

History

The castle dates from the late 12th century. In the 14th century it was acquired by Sir Robert Savage.[2] The Annals of the Four Masters record the capture of the castle in 1470 by an army led by the O'Neill to assist the MacQuillans. They took the castle and it was given to MacQuillan for safe keeping.[3] It was intact until 1896 when a storm demolished much of it.[4]

Features

Sketrick Castle was originally 57 ft high, 51 ft long and 27 ft wide, four storeys high, with a boat bay and a stone subterranean passage discovered in 1957.[2][4] It has lintels running under the bawn wall to a chamber with a corbel over a fresh water spring. Parts of the bawn wall still survive to the north and east of the castle.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Sketrick Castle" (PDF). Environment and Heritage Service NI - State Care Historic Monuments. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
  2. "Sketrick Castle". Ulster Scots Heritage Trail. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  3. "Sketrick Castle". NI Family History Research Site. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. "Sketrick Castle". Discover Northern Ireland. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.


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