Leighlinbridge Castle
| Leighlinbridge Castle | |
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The Black Castle on the River Barrow in Leighlinbridge
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| Location | Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland |
| Built | 14th century |
| Rebuilt | 1547 |
| Architect | Edward Bellingham (1547) |
| Architectural style(s) | Norman |
| Reference no. | 438 |
Coordinates: 52°44′09″N 6°58′41″W / 52.7357°N 6.9781°W
Leighlinbridge Castle, also called Black Castle, is in the village of Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, on the River Barrow.
The early castle was built c.1181 for the Normans. In the 1540s a Carmelite friary was converted into a new fort by Edward Bellingham. The remains of the castle are now dilapidated - a 50-foot-tall (15 m) broken castle tower and parts of one side of an enclosing wall are still extant.
The Norman castle, was founded c.1181 by John de Clahull (or Claville) under the auspices of Hugh de Lacy.
The original construct, together with the nine-arched bridge over the River Barrow formed the main landmarks of the town; and the construction of the castle, in itself creating a place of importance has been credited as a key cause in the development of the town of Leighlin-Bridge.
In the early 1270s the Carmelites first came to Ireland, and established their first friary in Leighlinbridge, on a site near the castle. The bridge across the river was built c.1320. Another castle, the 'White Castle' was built nearby, c.1408, by Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare. By 1840 there were no remains of this castle, and its location had been lost.
In 1543 the friary was suppressed, and in 1546 Edward Bellingham converted the friary into a fort with a surrounding wall - the fort became a military center for all of Leinster. Bellingham also established a stables at the castle, of around two dozen horses.
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