Leap Castle

Leap Castle (; Irish: Caisleán Léim Uí Bhánáin (IPA:[ˈkaʃlʲaːn̪ˠlʲeːmʲiːˈwaːn̪ˠaːnʲ])) is a castle in Roscrea, County Offaly, Ireland, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of the town of Roscrea and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Kinnitty on the R421.

There are varied accounts as to when exactly the main tower/keep was constructed, ranging anywhere from the 13th century to the late 15th century, but most likely around 1250 AD. It was built by the O'Bannon clan and was originally called "Léim Uí Bhanáin" (as was the fertile land around the castle which was associated with the Bannon clan) or "Leap of the O'Bannons". The O'Bannons were the "secondary chieftains" of the territory and were subject to the ruling O'Carroll clan. There is evidence that it was constructed on the same site as another ancient stone structure, perhaps ceremonial in nature, and that that area has been occupied consistently since at least the Iron Age (500 BCE) and possibly since Neolithic times.

The Annals of the Four Masters record that the Earl of Kildare, Gerald FitzGerald, tried unsuccessfully to seize the castle in 1513. In 1516, he attacked the castle again and managed to partially demolish sections of it. By 1557, the O'Carrolls had regained possession.

Following the death of Mulrooney O'Carroll in 1532, family struggles plagued the O'Carroll clan. A fierce rivalry for leadership erupted within the family. The bitter fight for power turned brother against brother. One of the brothers was a priest. While he was holding mass for a group of his family, in what is now called the "Bloody Chapel", his rival brother burst into the chapel, plunged his sword into him and fatally wounded him. The butchered priest fell across the altar and died in front of his family.

In 1642, the castle passed by marriage into the ownership of the Darby family, notable members of whom included Vice-Admiral George Darby, Admiral Sir Henry D'Esterre Darby and John Nelson Darby. During the tenure of one Jonathan Charles Darby, séances were held in the castle by his wife Mildred Darby, who was a writer of Gothic novels: this led to publicity about the castle and its ghosts. The central keep was later expanded with significant extensions, but in order to pay for these, rents were raised, and much of the land accompanying the castle was sold.

Text adapted from “Leap Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Leap Castle ranks #1,248 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #17 of the 172 mapped in Ireland. Founded 1250, it is older than 69% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 825 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 6,417 times in the last 60 days, more than 88% of the atlas. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Limerick, 68 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗