Clan Rising
Carrickmines Castle today

Ireland · Partial ruin

Carrickmines Castle

Caisleán Carraig Mhaighin

Carrickmines Castle is the site of a medieval Hiberno-Norse and Norman fortified settlement on the frontier between Dublin and Wicklow. The site once comprised a curtain wall with towers, a central keep or hall house, a surrounding village with mills, and substantial rock-cut defences and moat; much of the archaeology now survives only as subsurface remains. Extensive excavation was carried out before a modern motorway was routed through the site.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1402

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 1402

What Carrickmines Castle looked like in its prime.

A medieval stone curtain wall encloses several acres and is periodically reinforced by stout towers, with a central stone keep or hall house rising above a clustered settlement of timber and stone buildings and mills. The fortification is defined by a broad ditch or moat cut into bedrock with masonry revetments and a continuous battlemented wall-walk; timber roofs would cap halls and domestic houses. The place sits low on the southern plains, approached across grassy terrain.

Its story

The story of Carrickmines Castle.

Carrickmines Castle was built in the Middle Ages to protect the English-ruled Pale around Dublin, on the frontier between Dublin and Wicklow. In its prime the fortified settlement comprised a curtain wall with towers, a central keep or hall house, a surrounding village with mills, and substantial rock-cut defences and a moat.

The castle belonged to the Walsh family. In 1402, when the O'Byrne clan of Wicklow moved a large mercenary force to the banks of the Dargle at Bray, the direct route to Dublin would have brought them close to the stronghold of Carrickmines, they apparently hesitated, and the delay allowed the Walshes to send an urgent warning to the city. In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 the Catholic Walshes sided with the native Irish and the Confederate attempt to create the first independent Irish parliament.

The mostly subsurface ruins lay in the path of the M50 motorway, completed in 2005; extensive excavation preceded the road, and sections of the medieval walls and defensive structures were preserved within or under its roundabouts. In 2006, amid corruption allegations, the Criminal Assets Bureau obtained a High Court order freezing 107 acres at Carrickmines owned by Jackson Way Properties and preventing their sale.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1402.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Carrickmines Castle, including 1 interior: central keep / great hall interior. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the southern plainsExterior of the curtain wallWall-walk and battlementsCentral keep / great hall interiorVillage street and mills within the wallsMoat and rock-cut defences

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Whose castle

Clans who held Carrickmines Castle.

The families that held Carrickmines Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Walsh

    Owned Carrickmines from the medieval period through the 1641 Rebellion.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Carrickmines Castle.

Blackrock College, IrelandLandmarkBlackrock College6 km awayAviva Stadium, IrelandStadiumAviva Stadium10 km awayLansdowne Road, IrelandStadiumLansdowne Road10 km away

Questions about Carrickmines Castle

What is the history of Carrickmines Castle?

Carrickmines Castle was built in the Middle Ages to protect the English-ruled Pale around Dublin, on the frontier between Dublin and Wicklow. Its fortified settlement included a curtain wall, towers, a central keep or hall house, a village and mills. In 1641, the Catholic Walsh family sided with the native Irish and the Confederate attempt to create an independent Irish parliament.

What is inside Carrickmines Castle?

Carrickmines Castle contains a documented central keep or great hall interior. The wider settlement also had a village street, mills, timber and stone buildings, and defensive structures within the curtain wall. Much of the archaeology now survives only as subsurface remains.

Why was Carrickmines Castle built, and what was it used for?

Carrickmines Castle was built to protect the English-ruled Pale around Dublin. It guarded a frontier between Dublin and Wicklow and formed the centre of a fortified settlement with a keep or hall house, village, mills, walls and a moat. Its use was therefore defensive and administrative as well as residential.

Where is Carrickmines Castle?

Carrickmines Castle is in County Dublin, on the frontier between Dublin and Wicklow. The site lies south of Dublin, in the southern plains. Its location formed part of the medieval frontier protecting the English-ruled Pale around Dublin.

When was Carrickmines Castle built?

Carrickmines Castle dates from the Middle Ages, although its first-raised year is not recorded. Its prime year is given as 1402, when the Walsh stronghold was involved in events connected with the O'Byrne clan's movement towards Bray and Dublin.

Which family or clan held Carrickmines Castle?

The Walsh family held Carrickmines Castle from the medieval period through the 1641 Rebellion. The Catholic Walshes then sided with the native Irish and the Confederate attempt to create the first independent Irish parliament.

What did Carrickmines Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Carrickmines Castle had a medieval stone curtain wall enclosing several acres, reinforced by stout towers. A central stone keep or hall house rose above a settlement of timber and stone buildings and mills, while a broad rock-cut moat, masonry revetments and a battlemented wall-walk strengthened the defences.

Is Carrickmines Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Carrickmines Castle is now a partial ruin, with much of its archaeology surviving only as subsurface remains. Extensive excavation preceded the M50 motorway, completed in 2005, and sections of the medieval walls and defensive structures were preserved within or under its roundabouts.

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