Rathfarnham Castle
| Rathfarnham Castle | |
|---|---|
| Caisleán Rath Fearnáin | |
| Near Rathfarnham in Ireland | |
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 Rathfarnham Castle
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| Site information | |
| Owner | Office of Public Works |
| Open to the public |
yes |
| Website | www |
| Site history | |
| Built | c. 1583 |
| Built by | Adam Loftus |
| Materials | sandstone |
Rathfarnham Castle (Irish: Caisleán Rath Fearnáin) is a 16th-century fortified house in Rathfarnham, South Dublin, Ireland.
The earlier Irish castle was replaced by the present building built on lands confiscated from the Eustace family of Baltinglass because of their involvement in the Second Desmond Rebellion. The family were Irish-speaking and epitomized the fusion of Gaelic & Norman traditions that defines early modern Irish identity as described in the phrase More Irish than the Irish themselves. The Geraldines defended the Pale from the Irish clans in the nearby Wicklow Mountains. It is believed the present castle was built around 1583 for Archbishop Adam Loftus. Originally a semi-fortified and battlemented structure it underwent extensive alterations in the 18th century.
The castle consisted of a square building four stories high with a projecting tower at each corner, the walls of which were an average of 5 feet (1.5 m) thick. On the ground level are two vaulted apartments divided by a wall nearly 10 feet (3.0 m) thick which rises to the full height of the castle. On a level with the entrance hall are the 18th century reception rooms and above this floor the former ballroom, later converted into a chapel.
Rathfarnham was described as a "waste village" when Loftus bought it. His new castle was not long built when in 1600 it had to withstand an attack by the Wicklow clans during the Nine Years' War.
Archbishop Loftus left the castle to his son, Dudley and it then passed to his son Adam in 1616. During Adam's ownership, the castle came under siege in the 1641 rebellion. It was able to hold out against the Confederate army when the surrounding country was overrun. Adam Loftus opposed the treaty of cessation in order the stop the fighting between the Irish Confederates and the English Royalists. Consequently, he was imprisoned in Dublin Castle.
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Wikipedia