| Rathdown Castle | |
|---|---|
| Native name Irish: Ráth Oinn | |
| Rath-oinn | |
  Location of Rathdown Castle in Ireland | |
| Type | Castle |
| Location | Rathdown Upper, Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°09′30″N6°04′28″W / 53.158228°N 6.074427°W |
| Built | 13th century; rebuilt after 1308 |
| Architectural style(s) | Norman |
Rathdown Castle is a ruined castle and ancient settlement site located in County Wicklow, Ireland. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Rathdown Castle was located in a deep ravine immediately northeast of Kindlestown Castle and north of Greystones village. [6] [7] In the field to the north of the castle are visible remains of a moated enclosure, with other subsurface features. [8]
Archaeological evidence suggests there has been continuous settlement there from at least the Early Neolithic (4th millennium BC), and through to the early medieval period, when it was the site of the Gaelic Irish settlement Rath Oinn (perhaps "ringfort of the pine/furze.") [9]
The legendary account in Annals of the Four Masters (compiled 1632–36) claims that Rath Oinn was constructed by Érimón, one of the first Milesian kings of Ireland:
This was the year in which Eremhon and Emher assumed the joint sovereignty of Ireland, and divided Ireland into two parts between them. It was in it, moreover, that these acts following were done by Eremhon and Emher, with their chieftains: Rath Beothaigh, over the Eoir at Argat Ros, and Rath Oinn in Crich Cualann, were erected by Eremhon. [10]
This event is dated to 1699 BC; however, dates in the ancient annals prior to c. AD 500 are not considered factual. However, the prominence given to Rath Oinn in the accounts shows that it must have been an important centre in the distant, poorly-remembered past. [11] The Lebor Gabála Érenn (11th century) also states that "Rath Oinn in the land of Cualu was dug by Érimón." [12] [13]
At the time of the Norman invasion, Rathdown was the stronghold of the Uí Dúnchada, at that time led by Donal Mac Gilla Mo-Cholmóc, king of Cuala.[ citation needed ]
Henry II granted the Manor of Rathdown to Donal as tenant-in-chief. A stone castle, known as Rathdown Castle, was probably built soon after the Normans arrived. In 1301 the O'Byrnes (Uí Broin) burned down Rathdown Castle, and the occupant may have moved to Kindlestown Castle. The Normanised Mac Gilla Mo-Cholmóc owner of the lands, John Fitzdermot, did not retake Rathdown Castle, in c. 1305 conveying the manor of Rathdown to Nigel le Brun, Escheator of Ireland, and the castle was rebuilt in 1308. [14]
Associated with the castle was a village of several hundred people with a mill and a church (St. Crispin's Cell; the current building dates to 1530). [15] In 1534, a castle, 20 houses, a watermill and a creek were recorded at Rathdown. [16] In 1536 the castle and lands were granted to Peter Talbot. [17] [18]
Rathdown Castle and village survived to the early 1600s, being the subject of occasional raids by Gaelic tribes, such as the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles of the Wicklow Mountains region.
In the Down Survey (1657) Rathdown Castle was recorded as "ruinous." It gives its name to the baronies of Rathdown (County Dublin) and Rathdown (County Wicklow), and to the modern county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. [19]
In 1771, 20 acres were acquired by Captain Charles Tarrant who built Captain Tarrant's Farmhouse; he was involved in the construction of the Grand Canal and the Wide Streets Commission. He used stone from the castle ruins to build his house, and more of the stone was used for a railway bridge. [20]
In 2010, excavation in the area revealed "a series of small-scale features within the area of the known extended settlement" and medieval potsherds. [21] Later work identified Beaker-era settlement and evidence of a corn-drying kiln. [22]
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the east and the counties of Wexford to the south, Carlow to the southwest, Kildare to the west, and South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown to the north.
Cathair Mór, son of Feidhlimidh Fiorurghlas, a descendant of Conchobar Abradruad, was, according to Lebor Gabála Érenn, a High King of Ireland. He took power after the death of Fedlimid Rechtmar. Cathair ruled for three years, at the end of which he was killed by the Luaigne of Tara, led by Conn Cétchathach. The Lebor Gabála Érenn synchronises his reign with that of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (161–180). The chronology of Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates his reign to 113–116, that of the Annals of the Four Masters to 119–122.
Greystones is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Wicklow, Ireland. It lies on Ireland's east coast, 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south of Bray and 24 km (15 mi) south of Dublin city centre and has a population of 22,009, according to the 2022 census. The town is bordered by the Irish Sea to the east, Bray Head to the north and the Wicklow Mountains to the west. It is the second largest town in County Wicklow.
Lebor Gabála Érenn, Modern Irish spelling: Leabhar Gabhála Éireann) known in English as The Book of Invasions, is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish from the creation of the world to the Middle Ages. There are a number of versions, the earliest of which was compiled by an anonymous writer in the 11th century. It synthesised narratives that had been developing over the foregoing centuries. The Lebor Gabála tells of Ireland being settled six times by six groups of people: the people of Cessair, the people of Partholón, the people of Nemed, the Fir Bolg, the Tuatha Dé Danann, and the Milesians. The first four groups are wiped out or forced to abandon the island; the fifth group represents Ireland's pagan gods, while the final group represents the Irish people.
The Mythological Cycle is a conventional grouping within Irish mythology. It consists of tales and poems about the god-like Tuatha Dé Danann, who are based on Ireland's pagan deities, and other mythical races such as the Fomorians and Fir Bolg. It is one of the four main story 'cycles' of early Irish myth and legend, along with the Ulster Cycle, the Fianna Cycle and the Cycles of the Kings. The name "Mythological Cycle" seems to have gained currency with Arbois de Jubainville c. 1881–1883. James MacKillop says the term is now "somewhat awkward", and John T. Koch notes it is "potentially misleading, in that the narratives in question represent only a small part of extant Irish mythology". He prefers T Ó Cathasaigh's name, Cycle of the Gods. Important works in the cycle are the Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Cath Maige Tuired, the Aided Chlainne Lir and Tochmarc Étaíne.
Éber Finn, son of Míl Espáine, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland and one of the founders of the Milesian lineage, to which medieval genealogists traced all the important Gaelic royal lines.
Érimón, commonly Anglicised as Heremon, son of Míl Espáine, according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions, was one of the chieftains who took part in the Milesian invasion of Ireland, which conquered the island from the Tuatha Dé Danann, and one of the first Milesian High Kings.
Mag Itha, Magh Ithe, or Magh Iotha was, according to Irish mythology, the site of the first battle fought in Ireland. Medieval sources estimated that the battle had taken place between 2668 BCE and 2580 BCE. The opposing sides comprising the Fomorians, led by Cichol Gricenchos, and the followers of Partholón.
Carrickmines Castle is an archaeological site in Carrickmines, County Dublin, in eastern Ireland. The castle was built in the Middle Ages to protect the English-ruled Pale around Dublin. The mostly subsurface ruins lay in the path of the M50 motorway, completed in 2005. Sections of the medieval walls and some sections of the castle's defensive structures were preserved within or under M50 roundabouts.
Greystones railway station is a railway station in Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland. It is the southern terminus of the DART electrified rail network.
Teltown is a townland in County Meath, Ireland, for the area between Oristown and Donaghpatrick Kells. It was named for the Irish mythological figure or goddess, Tailtiu. The Tailtin Fair was held there in medieval times as a revival of the ancient Aonach Tailteann, and was revived as the Tailteann Games for a period in the twentieth century.
Delgany is a small rural village in County Wicklow in Ireland, located on the R762 road which connects to the N11 road at the Glen of the Downs.
Killincarrig is a village between Greystones and Delgany in North County Wicklow. It lies at the crossroads of the R762 and the R761 roads. Like neighbouring Delgany it has been steadily built up over the past 40 years and now forms part of the continuous urban area of Greystones.
The R762 road is a regional road in County Wicklow, Ireland, which connects the R761 at Greystones to the N11 national primary road.
Rathdown is the south-easternmost barony in County Dublin, Ireland. It gives its name to the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. Before County Wicklow was shired in 1606, Rathdown extended further south: it was named after a medieval settlement which grew up around Rathdown Castle, at a site subsequently deserted and now in County Wicklow in the townland of Rathdown Upper, north of Greystones. The Wicklow barony of Rathdown corresponds to the portion transferred to the new county; although both divisions were originally classed as "half baronies", in the nineteenth century the distinction between a barony and a half barony was obsolete.
Rathdown is a barony in County Wicklow, Ireland.
Kindlestown Castle is a castle and a National Monument in Delgany, Ireland.
Uí Dúnchada Irish lineage and kingdom.
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