Threecastles Castle

Threecastles Castle is a three-storey tower house situated near Blessington, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is protected as a national monument.

Threecastles Castle
Native name
Caisleán Bhaile na dTrí Chaisleán
LocationBlessington, County Wicklow, Ireland
Coordinates53°10′54″N 6°29′15″W
Built1500s
Official nameThreecastles Castle
Reference no.491[1]

Description

Threecastles Castle is a rectangular three-storey tower house, with a stair turret projecting from the north east corner.[2][3] The walls are four to five feet thick, and are faced with cut granite. The castle was built on an east facing slope overlooking a ford on the River Liffey, where stepping stones crossing the river were also marked on an early 20th century map.[4] With the damming of the River Liffey at Poulaphouca in 1940 and subsequent flooding of the valley, the river depth rose and is now too deep to cross. Much of the area south of the castle is now a flat marsh leading to the lakeshore.

History

The history of the castle is unclear, but it is believed that due to the castle's name there were more than one castle in the townsland.[2] Of the other two castles, the site of one is known from a 19th-century Ordnance Survey, the third castle's site is unknown. It was probably built by Lord Deputy Gerald Fitzgerald, 8th earl of Kildare, in the 16th century. It was the site of a number of battles in the 1500s.[4] Some sources speculate that the 'three' refers to the castle having three parts.[5]

See also

Media related to Threecastles Castle at Wikimedia Commons

References
  1. "National Monuments of County Wicklow in State Care" (PDF). National Monument Service. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  2. "Threecastles Castle". Irish Antiquities. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  3. "Threecastles Castle". Megalithic Ireland. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  4. O'Byrne, Emmett (13 July 2011). "Site was scene of bitter fighting, Wicklow History: Three Castles". Wicklow People. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  5. "Placenames around Blessington". Blessington.info. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
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