Clan Rising
Whites Castle today

Ireland · Still standing

Whites Castle

White's Castle is a tower house in Athy, County Kildare, standing on the east bank of the River Barrow beside Crom Abú Bridge. Much of the structure dates to the 16th century and it was extended and altered over the following centuries; it has served as a fortified house, gaol and barracks. The castle retains a battered tower core with later rectangular northern additions and visible joins marking earlier walls.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1520

Its prime

1802

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1802

What Whites Castle looked like in its prime.

A stone-built, three-storey tower house with a battered base and a taller four-storey southern tower attached; a three-storey rectangular north wing with crenellated battlements added at the north end. The main entrance is set into the tower wall with a coat-of-arms to the right and a crucifixion plaque to the left of the doorway. The building sits on the east bank of the River Barrow immediately beside Crom Abú Bridge, with the line of the original west wall visible as a seam in the masonry.

Its story

The story of Whites Castle.

A stronghold likely stood at Athy's river crossing by 1297, when a document records David Fitz le Feure held in 'the ward of Athy'. John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and King's Lieutenant, built a Norman tower house on the site in 1417, during the reign of Henry V, to protect the new bridge over the River Barrow; William Scryvener served as constable of the castle from 1422 to 1426.

Derelict by 1505, the castle was rebuilt at the request put to Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, and the Kildare coat of arms is carved to the right of the main doorway. Work continued in the reign of Henry VIII, Lord Leonard Grey wrote to Thomas Cromwell about the castle in 1536, and in 1573 Richard Coosen, Sovereign of Athy, added a crucifixion plaque beside the original doorway, with the fortified house complete around 1575.

Extended and altered over succeeding centuries, the tower later served as gaol and barracks. It belonged to the Doyle and Norman families until sold in 2005 for €1.3 million; in 2012 it went on the market again for just €195,000.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1802.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Whites Castle, including 1 interior: interior: gaol cells. 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 east riverbankView from Crom Abú BridgeMain doorway and plaquesBattlemented roof of the north extensionSouthern four-storey tower elevationInterior: gaol cells

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Whose castle

Clans who held Whites Castle.

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

  • FitzGerald

    Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, was asked to rebuild the derelict castle after 1505, and the arms of the Earls of Kildare are carved beside the main doorway.

  • Doyle

    The castle belonged to the Doyle and Norman families until it was sold in 2005.

Questions about Whites Castle

What is the history of Whites Castle?

Whites Castle began as a 15th-century stronghold protecting Athy’s new bridge over the River Barrow. A Norman tower house was built in 1417, but the castle was derelict by 1505 and was rebuilt in stages, with the fortified house complete around 1575. It later changed from a fortified house to a gaol and barracks.

What is inside Whites Castle?

Whites Castle contains gaol cells. It had nine cells when it became the local prison by 1730, and was later used as an Irish Constabulary barracks and then transformed into a private dwelling.

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

Whites Castle was built to protect the main river crossing at Athy and the new bridge over the River Barrow. Its purpose later changed: it became a gaol and local prison in the eighteenth century, was used as a prison for Irish rebels after the 1798 rebellion, and later served as a barracks.

Where is Whites Castle?

Whites Castle is in Athy, County Kildare, on the east bank of the River Barrow beside Crom Abú Bridge. It stands in the centre of Athy and overlooks the bridge.

When was Whites Castle built?

Whites Castle belongs to the 16th century, although its site had an earlier 15th-century tower house. The first raised year given is 1520, while the fortified house was complete around 1575 after rebuilding and further work during the reign of Henry VIII.

Was Whites Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Whites Castle changed hands during the Irish Confederate Wars. Owen Roe O'Neill took it in 1645, the Royalists took it in 1648, and Cromwell arrived in 1649; the supplied account does not state whether a formal siege took place.

Which family or clan held Whites Castle?

Whites Castle belonged to the Doyle and Norman families until it was sold in 2005. Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, was asked to rebuild the derelict castle after 1505, and the Kildare arms are carved beside the main doorway.

What did Whites Castle look like in its prime?

Whites Castle is a stone-built, three-storey tower house with a battered base and a taller four-storey southern tower. A three-storey rectangular north wing has crenellated battlements, while the main doorway is marked by a coat-of-arms and a crucifixion plaque. The line of the original west wall remains visible as a masonry seam.

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

Whites Castle is still standing and is described as intact. Its battered tower core survives with later rectangular northern additions, and visible joins mark earlier walls. The north extension was added between 1795 and 1802, with a further small extension in 1830.

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