Roscrea Castle

Roscrea Castle is a 13th-century motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Roscrea, Ireland. The castle consists of a walled courtyard, gate block, and angled towers. Along with 18th century Damer House and gardens, the castle forms part of Roscrea Heritage Centre.

The south-eastern tower is sometimes known as King John's Castle as its erection is attributed to John, King of England. While the current stone castle was built after his death, there is evidence that John ordered a "motam et bretagium" (motte and tower) to be built on the site in 1213. At the time of construction the land was owned by the Bishop of Killaloe. Construction was overseen by the Justiciar, Henry of London, and formed part of John's efforts to solidify his conquest of Ireland, particularly the midlands and southern counties. In 1315, the castle was granted to the Butlers of Ormond who held it until the 18th century.

In 1646, the castle and town were stormed by Owen Roe O'Neill during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The castle fell to Cromwell in 1650 and was used for a short period by Cromwell's son-in-law Henry Ireton. In 1703, the castle was sold to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham by the Duke of Ormonde. It was purchased by local merchant John Damer in 1722 and later passed down to the Earl of Portarlington. It was used as a barracks from 1798, housing 350 soldiers, and later served as a school, library, and tuberculosis sanatorium. The castle fell into disrepair in the 19th century, with a roof collapse which necessitated extensive repairs in the 1850s. It was named a national monument in 1892 and is registered as National Monument number 211.

The original wooden castle was destroyed in the late 13th century and replaced with the current stone structure. More than £875 was spent on works from 1274 to 1295, overseen by John de Lydyard. The current structure consists of a 40-metre-wide courtyard enclosed by curtain walls and a ditch. The walls are up to 2.5 metres thick in parts. The castle was originally surrounded by a river to the east and a moat on the other sides. While it does not have a keep, the main residence is a three-storey rectangular gate building to the north, complemented by two three-quarter round towers, one to the southwest and one to the southeast.

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

Roscrea Castle ranks #5,575 of 8,134 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #103 of the 173 mapped in Ireland. Founded c. 1250, it is older than 69% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 861 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Limerick, 64 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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