Ireland · Ruin
Castle Roche
Dún Gall
Castle Roche is a 13th-century Norman castle built by the de Verdun family, sited on a large rocky outcrop north-west of Dundalk in County Louth, Ireland. The castle was strongly walled with a deep moat, had a round tower outpost linked by a secret passage, and remained an active fortress until it was ruined in 1641.
Its prime
1316
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1316
What Castle Roche looked like in its prime.
Perched on a prominent rocky outcrop, the castle in its prime had high, continuous outer walls surrounded by a deep water-filled moat. A separate round tower outpost stood nearby and was connected to the main enclosure by a secret underground passage. A large bedroom in the upper range featured the notable ‘‘Murder Window’’ looking out over the estate. From the battled heights the castle commanded extensive views across the surrounding countryside and the pass to South Armagh.
Its story
The story of Castle Roche.
Bertram de Verdun Comes Over With John, 1185-1189
The de Verdun family of Alton Castle in Staffordshire had a history in the district around what is now Castle Roche, some 10 km north-west of Dundalk in County Louth. Bertram de Verdun arrived as part of John's first expedition to Ireland in April 1185. By that same year he had put up a manor house at Castletown Mount, and in 1189 he obtained the town's charter.
Rohesia de Verdun Builds, 1236-1247
Bertram's granddaughter Rohesia de Verdun, of Alton in England, was married to Theobald le Botiller, 2nd Chief Butler of Ireland. After her husband died suddenly while travelling in Poitou, she moved to her lands in Ireland and immediately set about fortifying them with a castle. The seat of the de Verduns was built in 1236. It is generally accepted that Rohesia commissioned it, though much of what stands is thought to have been added by John, her son by Theobald.
Rohesia became a nun at Gracedieu Priory in Leicestershire, died there in 1247, and was buried in the nearby parish church at Belton, where her effigy may be seen.
The Legend of the Murder Window
A legend attaches to the building of the castle. It claims that Rohesia's quick-tempered reputation deterred every potential architect, and that she offered her hand in marriage, and with it a share of her wealth, to the man who would build the castle to her liking. After the wedding banquet in the newly completed castle, the tale goes, she invited her husband to the bridal suite and urged him to view their estate from the large bedroom window, then pushed him from it to his death, taking no chances with the castle's secrets. The opening was known thereafter as the Murder Window.
The Pale Frontier, Edward Bruce and the Ruin of 1641
The castle stands on a large rocky outcrop commanding extensive views of the surrounding country, and the name records it: 'roche' is old Norman French for rock, so this was the castle on the Rock. A deep moat and strong walls rendered it virtually impregnable, and a secret passage once ran from the castle to a round tower outpost. St Ronan's Well lies nearby.
The position was a frontier one, between the then exclusively Gaelic province of Ulster and the Anglo-Norman territory known as the Pale, and it controlled the pass into what is now South Armagh. The de Verdun family held the site for many years. Nicholas de Verdun, who died in 1316 and was a younger brother of Theobald II de Verdun, was in charge during the invasion led by Edward Bruce, brother of Robert the Bruce. A hosting of all English forces in Ireland took place at the castle in 1561. It was finally laid to ruin in 1641.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1316.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Castle Roche, including 2 interiors: secret passage entrance, bridal bedroom with the 'murder window'. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Castle Roche.
The families that held Castle Roche for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
de Verdun
Seat of the de Verdun family, who built the castle in 1236 and held the site for many years.
Nearby
