Located in south County Kildare, Castledermot is a village with two excellent historical sites to visit. The first we will look at is Castledermot Round Tower and Crosses. Originally this site was a hermitage founded by St. Diarmaid in 812 AD. Unlike the more usual hermitages like Skellig Michael, St. Diarmaid's positioning of his hermitage at Castledermot is an unusual one. This area was well populated at the time, being located in the rich fertile landscape of the Barrow Valley. So why build a hermitage away from isolation? Diarmaid was a key figure in the new monastic Céile Dé or Culdee movement, rather than solitary hermits they wanted their pious, ascetic and abstemious life to be witnessed by the general population so that people might begin to reflect on their materialistic ways.

From small beginnings his hermitage grew into a monastic settlement known as Diseart Diarmada. It was twice raided by the Vikings in 841 and 867 AD, and the annals report it being the scene of violence and raids throughout the eleventh century as various Irish rulers vied for power in this region.

This site is a must-see for any fans of history, archaeology and those who love to explore old graveyards. A number of outstanding features make it one of the most rewarding places to visit in the region. The two high crosses are some of the finest examples of their type. Carved from granite and dating to around the 9th Century, the South Cross (pictured above) is unusual in having biblical scenes on its western face (the side visible in this photograph) and geometric designs on the eastern side. If you look to the left of the cross in the top picture you can also see an early medieval millstone embedded into the ground.

The North Cross pictured to the right, features a number of biblical depictions. Adam and Eve are at the centre of the cross, with a wonderful image of David sitting and playing the harp on the left arm. The right arm of the cross illustrates Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. The shaft shows Daniel in the lions den at the top, then two more depictions below, I am afraid I'm not quite sure what they are! The base is covered with beautiful curving spirals.  

As well as being striking markers of Christianity on the landscape, High Crosses were also a method of telling the stories of the bible visually to the largely illiterate population at the time.

The Round Tower at the site (pictured to the left) is quite a small example of an Irish Round Tower, standing at only 20 metres high. The masonry of the tower is constructed of rough uncoursed granite.

One of the more unusual features at Castledermot can be found just in front of the South Cross. This is known as a 'hogback' grave (see picture below), and is the only hogback grave in Ireland. This type of burial marker is generally more commonly found in areas like Northumberland. It is associated with the Vikings, particularly around the time of transition between traditional Viking paganism and Christianity between 800–1000 AD. That this typically Viking grave marker is here at Castledermot is something of an enigma, the Vikings wouldn't have been overly popular here as Castledermot was twice raided by the Vikings in 841 and 867 AD. Perhaps the grave marks the burial place of a wealthy Viking trader, a Hiberno–Norse Lord or noble, or even perhaps an Irish noble who was enamoured with the Viking culture.





The grave itself is interesting in that it has typical Norse carvings on it (very difficult to make out today unfortunately, but if you look carefully you can just see faint outlines of large diamond shapes under the white lichen) some of these designs have their roots in Norse paganism, but it is buried in a Christian burial ground. Whoever was buried here was certainly hedging their bets for the afterlife!





The second site at Castledermot is Castledermot Friary and it too is a fantastic place to visit, and like Castledermot Round Tower and Crosses, and in fact all the places we feature on this blog, it is free to enter. We will feature the Friary in a blog post next week.

We hope you are enjoying this blog and that it is helping you to discover some of the superb heritage sites to visit that are a little off the beaten track. Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions, is there a particular site or place that you think we should feature? Do you have any tips about great heritage trails? We'd love to hear them. Leave a comment below or send us a mail at info@abartaaudioguides.com

If you would like to know more about Irish history then try out our audioguides available for just €1.99 from our website www.abartaaudioguides.com  packed with original music and sound effects they are a fun and interesting way of immersing yourself in the sensational story of Ireland.

This weekend I paid my first visit to The Wonderful Barn near Lexlip in County Kildare, and as you can see from the image the name does do it justice! This bizzare construction was built in 1743. The work was commissioned by Katherine Connolly, widow of William 'Speaker' Connolly. He had made his fortune from land transfers, following the confiscations by the Crown of lands belonging to supporters of James II after the Williamite War ended. He had the first Palladian Mansion built in Ireland - Castletown House near Celbridge in County Kildare.

William Connolly died in 1729 and was said to be the wealthiest man in Ireland at the time of his death, leaving Katherine as his widow. She had The Wonderful Barn constructed in 1743 not only as a functional grain store, but as an unusual architectural feature which undoubtedly catches the eye. It is said that she also had philanthropic motivations for constructing this complex building. 


There had been a severe famine in Ireland in 1740-41, she kept the local people employed working on projects like The Wonderful Barn and the 42 metre tall Connolly Folly which she had constructed in 1741. 

The Wonderful Barn itself stands approximately 22 metres in height, and has a tapering cone, circled by a cantilevered staircase with a crow’s nest viewing gallery.
The Wonderful Barn is certainly worth a trip out, and is a fine (and unusual) setting for a stroll. There are a number of allotments on the lands today, the site itself is reasonably easy to access with paths running around the main features. To get there follow the Celbridge Road out of Lexlip, when you pass a large housing estate on the outskirts of Lexlip called Elton Court on your right hand side drive on around 50m and the gate leading  into The Wonderful Barn will be on your right.

I hope you enjoy this blog, we're trying to cover as many sites as we can across Ireland. If anyone has any suggestions about sites you'd like us to cover please do leave us a comment. If you enjoy information and images of Irish heritage sites then do follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ If you'd like to support us then please consider downloading an audioguide to one of Ireland's wonderful heritage sites. They are packed with original music and sound effects and are a great way of experiencing the story of Ireland. They only cost €1.99 and are fun whether you are at the site, or listening from the comfort of your own home. If you enjoy stories of the turbulent medieval period in Ireland try our guide to Viking and Medieval Dublin, visit us at www.abartaaudioguides.com for free previews and to download your free audioguide to the Rock of Dunamase  or the free audioguide to the wonderful heritage town of Kells in County Meath
 

  

 

 For over fifty years in the late fifteenth to the mid sixteenth century, Ireland was not ruled from Dublin, it was ruled from Kildare, by the powerful Fitzgerald dynasty based here in their castle in Maynooth.

After the Norman invasions of Ireland, the land around Maynooth in Kildare that had formerly belonged to the O’Byrne family, was granted by Richard de Clare the leader of the Norman forces to Gerald fitzMaurice fitzGerald in 1176. FitzGerald chose Maynooth to be the capital (known at the time as the caput). Originally it was thought that like many other Norman castles in Ireland, the first defensive structures on site would have been made of earth and timber. However in a recent article for Archaeology Ireland, Professor Tadhg O’Keefe of UCD convincingly argues* the case for the first construction to be of stone.
He notes in particular many similarities with the great donjon of Trim Castle, situated relatively close by in County Meath and suggests that there was sharing of knowledge, architects and builders between the two powerful medieval magnates of de Lacey and fitzGerald.

The keep or donjon of Maynooth Castle

By the end of the thirteenth century, the Fitzgerald’s became one of the leading Anglo-Norman families in Ireland. Their profile was boosted considerably in 1316 when King Edward II raised John fitzThomas fitzGerald to the Earldom of Kildare for his services during Edward the Bruce’s invasion of Ireland. However it was in the late fifteenth century when the fitzGerald’s reached their apogee. Gerald fitzGerald was trusted by King Henry VII to rule Ireland in his name. This brought huge wealth to fitzGerald and it was noted that Maynooth Castle was richly decorated. His son, [also called Gerald but known as Gearóid Óg] was Lord Deputy of Ireland for King Henry VIII three times (1513–34, 1524–28 and 1532–34).

He had unprecedented power in Ireland and jealously guarded his families interests. FitzGerald was summoned to London in 1534 by King Henry VIII, and he left his son Thomas as deputy governor in his absence. Thomas was a flamboyant young hothead, known as Silken Thomas for the silk his men wove into their helmets. A false rumour spread that the Earl had been executed by the King, Silken Thomas was enraged at the thoughts of his father being put to death in the Tower of London. He flew into a rage, and charged into St. Mary’s Abbey where the Kings Council in Ireland were meeting. He threw down the sword of state in an act of defiance, and immediately began a campaign against the Kings forces in Ireland. He had his men cut off the water supply to Dublin and laid siege to the City. The campaign was going well, until the Crown forces realised that Silken Thomas had neglected to defend his own stronghold of Maynooth. The English army under William Skeffington managed to negotiate their way into Maynooth Castle, but once inside they slaughtered many of the inhabitants. Silken Thomas heard of the bloodshed and immediately marched to try and save his family home, but he was ambushed and captured on the way. He was brought in chains to London, where he heard that his father had actually died of natural causes and had not been executed after all. Thomas and his five uncles were brought to the place of execution in London, Tyburn, and brutally executed by being hung drawn and quartered. The castle was thought to have been betrayed by Thomas’s foster brother Christopher Paris. The morning after Skeffington took the castle he offered his thanks to Christopher Paris and paid him for his services, but then ordered Paris to be beheaded, probably because he had shown himself to be a duplicitous character not to be trusted.

The undercroft or cellar level inside the keep has a number of interpretative panels

The execution of Silken Thomas and his uncles marked the effective end of the fitzGerald ascendancy, and by the early seventeenth century Maynooth Castle had started to fall into disrepair. Richard Boyle, father of the famous scientist Robert Boyle, became the guardian of the young George fitzGerald and became his father-in-law when George married Boyle’s daughter Joan. He spent large sums renovating Maynooth Castle and constructed a fashionable Manor House. As part of his works many of the original medieval domestic buildings were demolished. The castle suffered a number of sieges and attacks during the Catholic Confederacy Wars of the 1640s and was largely ruined. Squatters took over the castle and made their money extorting money from travellers by tolling the dirt track that runs through the castle which was once the main Dublin to Galway road. The fitzGeralds left their ancient family seat and eventually made Carton House their home.

The area of Boyle's Manor House with its fine arches

Today the castle is an OPW heritage site and you can you can still enjoy the lovely grounds and a trip around the imposing medieval keep. The lower levels have a number of panels that interpret the story of the castle and guided tours of the keep are available on request. The site is free to enter, for opening hours and further information please visit http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/maynoothcastle/

The surviving gatehouse to Maynooth Castle

I do hope you enjoy our blog, we are trying to cover as many sites across Ireland as we can. Please do consider supporting us as we need all the help we can get and we'd really appreciate it. You can support us by sharing our blogposts or by downloading one of our audioguides from www.abartaaudioguides.com, they are packed with original music by Enda Seery and sound effects to make a fun and immersive way of hearing the story of one of Ireland’s iconic heritage sites. They cost just €1.99 and you can enjoy them from the comfort of your own home or at the sites. If you want to try them out before you buy we have a number of guides available free to download, including the incredible Rock of Dunamase, Kells Heritage Town and an audioguide that describes all the archaeology discovered during work on the M6 motorway between Kinnegad and Galway, it’s the story of a landscape through its archaeology.

If you’d like to receive daily updates about great heritage sites then please consider following us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

*O'Keefe,.T. 2013, 'Trim’s first cousin: the twelfth-century donjon of Maynooth Castle' Archaeology Ireland, Vol 27 No.2. Pages 26–31. 

Peig enjoying her walk at Donadea

Donadea Forest Park now encompasses almost 250 hectares. The demesne was established by the Anglo-Normans as a Manor, and the demesne passed to the Aylmer family in 1558. In 1624 Gerald Aylmer completed the construction of a Tower House, which is now the oldest part of the existing structure, as most of the visible remains we can see now date to the early nineteenth century. 

Donadea House

Lime Tree Avenue

The Aylmer's became embroiled in the Catholic Confederacy uprising in the middle of the seventeenth century, and in 1642 the powerful James Butler, Earl of Ormonde, despite being the brother-in-law of Aylmer, successfully laid siege to Donadea Castle and burned it to the ground. The house was rebuilt by 1772, and in the early nineteenth century, Gerald George Aylmer began an extensive programme of renovation, reconstruction and modernization on the estate. He had the house remodelled in the fashionable Gothic style of the time, he had large walls constructed to enclose the demesne, with a grand new carriageway (today called Lime Tree Avenue) to lead into the estate.

You can discover some of these features (including a great example of an ice house), on the grounds of the estate. 
The ancient routeway of Ireland, the Slí Mhór (The Great Way), that traversed Ireland from East to West, passes through Donadea. 
Alongside this highway of ancient Ireland, a church was founded in the early medieval period. Very little remains above ground today of the church, but a new church named St. Peter's was constructed as part of the large programme of works in the early nineteenth century.

St. Peter's Church at Donadea

A lake was also created as a landscape feature and to provide work during the Great Famine. Today it's one of the busier areas of the park, with families feeding the numerous ducks and enjoying the tranquil surroundings. Close by to the lake, you can find a poignant memorial to those who lost their lives in the Twin Towers at 9/11.

The Donadea Forest Park is under the management of Coillte, and is a great place to enjoy a walk. There is an entrance fee of €5 per car, and if you plan on making a few visits I strongly recommend purchasing a Coillte Outdoors Card for €35 that allows you to access a number of forest parks around the country for a year, you can find more information on these cards here.

For more information on Donadea, see here. 

I hope you enjoy this blog, we're trying to cover as many sites as we can across Ireland. If anyone has any suggestions about sites you'd like us to cover please do leave us a comment. If you enjoy information and images of Irish heritage sites then do follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

If you'd like to support us then please consider downloading an audioguide to one of Ireland's wonderful heritage sites. They are packed with original music and sound effects and are a great way of experiencing the story of Ireland. They only cost €1.99 and are fun whether you are at the site, or listening from the comfort of your own home. Our latest guide is to Viking and Medieval Dublin, visit us at www.abartaaudioguides.com for free previews. 

All photographs © Neil Jackman / abartaaudioguides.com

  

Usually when we visit historical sites we have done a little bit of homework and researched the basic information in advance, this is usually the best way of finding out not only the details of the site, but also any particular feature that we should look out for to ensure we don't miss anything. However our visit to Oughterard Round Tower was an occasion that proved that sometimes it's great to just pick a site off the Ordnance Survey Discovery Series Maps and turn up without any expectations as you may get a nice surprise! 

Oughterard Round Tower and Church is located between Straffen and Kill in County Kildare. The site is accessed by a set of steps and stile in the tall wall that surrounds the site. The name Oughterard derives from the Gaelic Uachtar Ard - which translates to 'High Place', the name is very apt as one of the first things you notice about this site are the stunning views of the countryside of County Dublin and Kildare that surround you. 

A monastery was said to have been founded here some time in the early 6th Century by Saint Briga. The site was recorded in the Annals as being burned by the Dublin Vikings led by Sihtric Silkenbeard in 995 AD. Later during the Norman invasions of Ireland, Oughterard was included in the vast estates given to the Norman leader of the invasions, Richard de Clare (Strongbow), by Diarmuid MacMurrough King of Leinster as part of the dowry when Strongbow married MacMurrough's daughter Aoife. Today you can see the well preserved remains of a medieval church (looks to date to around the fourteenth century) with a barrel-vaulted roof, it's adjoining rectangular tower is in a slightly precarious position and is held up by large concrete supports. The round tower now only stands approximately 9 metres high, but what is left is in good condition. It is constructed of limestone, with large granite blocks used to frame the doorway. 

The site itself is well worth a visit, with it's beautiful views and peaceful air you can really get a sense of history and tranquility. The site also holds a nice surprise that I alluded to in the opening paragraph. Before you enter the church, take a look at the gravestone marking a tomb in the wall on the right hand side. This marks the resting place of none other than the famous Arthur Guinness himself, founder of the Guinness Brewery and the creator of countless sore heads. The slab reads: In the adjoining Vault are deposited the mortal remains of ARTHUR GUINNESS late of JAMES'S GATE IN THE CITY and of BEAUMONT IN THE COUNTY OF DUBLIN ESQUIRE who departed this life on the 23rd of January A.D 1803 aged 78 years and also those of OLIVIA HIS WIFE who died in the month of March 1814 aged 72 years. They lived universally beloved & respected and their memory will long be cherished by a numerous circle of friends relations and descendants.

So if you are ever inclined to go on a pilgrimage to thank the man who created the brand synonymous with Ireland then you may find yourself in a quiet and peaceful ancient burial ground in County Kildare.

If anyone would like more information on Irish history, or if you are interested in enjoying the amazing tale of some of Ireland's superb historical sites then take a look at www.abartaaudioguides.com we provide audioguides packed with sound effects and original music to really help immerse you in history in a fun way, the guides can be enjoyed at home or at the sites and are also available from iTunes, Eircom Music Hub, Sony Music Unlimited, Amazon and Spotify. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read this blog, we really hope you find some of the suggestions for great places to visit useful. If anyone has any suggestions or comments please do get in touch by commenting below or send us an email at info@abartaaudioguides.com