Ireland · Partial ruin
Greencastle
Greencastle is a medieval stone castle on a low headland at the entrance to Carlingford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. It dates mainly from the 13th century with substantial 15th–16th-century alterations, and stands beside an earlier motte and a late-medieval stone church. The site is a state-care historic monument and was built to guard the narrow channel and ferry crossing to Carlingford.
Its prime
1590
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1590
What Greencastle looked like in its prime.
A compact rectangular stone tower/keep with a crenellated parapet stands on a grassy headland beside Carlingford Lough, built of grey local stone. At prime the tower is complemented by an enclosing rectangular curtain wall with four corner towers and low domestic ranges against the inner wall; some corner towers are lower or ruined. The castle sits above a surviving earthen motte on the seaward side, with distant hills across the lough in the background.
Its story
The story of Greencastle.
Greencastle was likely built by Hugh de Lacy, paired with Carlingford Castle on the opposite side of Carlingford Lough to guard the narrow entry channel and the ferry crossing between the two. The motte of an earlier wooden motte-and-bailey castle, possibly built by John de Courcy, still stands on the seaward side, and according to one legend, de Courcy was married at Greencastle.
Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, held the castle for the English Crown from 1264 to 1333. Edward Bruce, brother of Robert, attacked and took it in 1316, despite one of de Burgh's daughters having married Robert the Bruce himself. Attacked at least twice by the Irish in the later 14th century, it was still maintained as an English garrison in the 1590s; in the 16th century it was held by the Earl of Kildare and then by Nicholas Bagenal of Newry.
The castle fell into disuse after a bombardment by Cromwellian soldiers, carried out to stop it being used by rebel forces. Dating mainly from the 13th century with substantial 15th- and 16th-century alterations, it stands beside a late-medieval stone church; burial pits excavated in 2003 held a woman and a young child dated to around 1270–1380, likely contemporaries of the castle's construction. It is a state-care historic monument.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1590.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Greencastle, including the full exterior approach. 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 Greencastle.
The families that held Greencastle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
de Lacy
Likely built by Hugh de Lacy, with Carlingford Castle opposite, to guard the entry to Carlingford Lough.
Held for the English Crown by Richard de Burgh, Earl of Ulster, 1264–1333.
Bagenal
Held in the 16th century by Nicholas Bagenal of Newry.
