Dunsany Castle and Demesne

Dunsany Castle (Irish: Caisleán Dhún Samhnaí), Dunsany, County Meath, Ireland, is a modernised Anglo-Norman castle, started c. 1180 / 1181 by Hugh de Lacy, who also commissioned the original Killeen Castle, nearby, and the famous Trim Castle. It is one of Ireland's oldest homes in continuous occupation, possibly the longest occupied by a single family, having been held by the Cusack family and their descendants by marriage, the Plunketts, from foundation to the present day. The castle is surrounded by its demesne, the inner part of the formerly extensive Dunsany Estate. The demesne holds a historic church, a walled garden, a stone farm complex, and an ice house, among other features, and is home to a wide range of fauna.

Text adapted from “Dunsany Castle and Demesne” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dunsany Castle and Demesne ranks #3,616 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #54 of the 173 mapped in Ireland. Founded c. 1180, it is older than 80% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 564 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,511 times in the last 60 days, more than 72% of the atlas. 8 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Drogheda, 27 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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