In any case, we're sure to have lots to share and are delighted to welcome you. There truly is no other quite like it. Average site that is "out of the way" - but near the Carlingford Ferry. We also provide all the visiting information you need to help plan your visit to each castle. 98% of travellers recommend this experience. Telephone: 0330 137 4008. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. The grounds of the castle are often used for entertainment . Infatuated by her enticements he put his hand to the fatal will, which was duly executed and witnessed. Killyleagh is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. Henry died of poisoning in 1675, then Lady Alice died in 1677, leaving the estate to her brother. Killyleagh Castle is a castle in the village of Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. At this point a clause in Henrys fathers will became more significant. After graduating from Glasgow, Hutcheson, Bruce and Drennan senior established a presbyterian academy in Dublin in 1719 which attempted to emulate the school at Killyleagh. And all of a sudden you see the Greencastle Fort strategically built to have the broadest view on the bay. Parliament fined him for the return of the castle and his land. Where we use photos that do not belong to us, it is because we believe them to be in the public domain or shared under a Creative Commons licence with appropriate attribution. Over coming months we will add a range of posts covering the people, places, products and stories that interest us and will hopefully be of interest to you. Excepting the circular tower seen at nortli-east angle, the structure is new, and was erected from the designs of Mr. Chas. It is home of the Strangford Stone - the tallest megalith in Ireland. However, when there are events at the castle, you are sometimes able to wander close. James and Anne were staunch royalists and supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. What hotels are near Killyleagh Castle Towers? It dominates the small village and is believed to be the oldest inhabited castle in the country, with parts dating back to 1180. Be the first to share your thoughts! Killyleagh Castle was built to resemble a French Chateau from the Loire Valley with round corner turrets. It dominates the small village and is believed to be the oldest inhabited castle in the country, with parts dating back to 1180. It even went so far as to draw an exact mathematical line across Killyleagh Castle itself, by which the keep went to the nephew, whereas the Courtyard and the Gate House with its attendant battlements were accorded to the daughter. Nowadays it is a major tourist attraction easily accessible by car or bus from Mariehamn. On alternate years a pair of gilt spurs were to be presented to Lord Dufferin. They even had a base for their ships here. This page was last modified on 6 February 2023, at 06:27. In 1602 Gaelic chieftain Con O'Neill of Clandeboye owned large tracts of North Down, including Killyleagh. The cousins were well aware of the 1st Earls will and so they went forth and pursued their rights as inheritors of the castle and estate. The Earls of Gosford occupied the castle until 1921, and the estate was later purchased by the Ministry of Agriculture to form Gosford Forest Park. Our 3 boys asked to return on our next trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland. When we finally got back in the road we barely made it to the last train ride of the day, but it was a detour worth taking. Opening Hours The Castle is in private ownership, but can be viewed from the street. Hotels Near Killyleagh Castle Location, location, locationthe mantra is as true in travel as it is in real estate. 20 years later, the matter was finally concluded when an original copy of the will was discovered. In retaliation Killyleagh Castle was besieged in 1649 by Cromwellian forces under the command of General Monk. He gave each of the kids maps/guide papers and we went in and explored. James was an adviser and spy for the English king. The beautiful Killyleagh Castle towers have self-catering holiday accommodation within them. Be careful when entering, the driveway was a bit hidden between 2 plots of land. It was built to resemble somewhat of a French Chteau which is why it has a regal edge over the other castles nearby. (In later years, 3 cannon balls were extracted from one of the tower walls. More information Killyleagh Castle Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. 100% of travelers recommend this experience. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. 97% of travelers recommend this experience. At the termination of a leading street in the thriving town of Killylea[gh], county Armagh [Down], is a domestic residence of more than ordinary architectural pretensions, a view of which we present herewith. If the building today known as Dunrobin Castle was completed in 1845, there are records of a castle in this place since the 15th century - the oldest part of the current building dating back to then - with many indications there was a fortress here since the early Middle Ages. Belfast Entries posts & photos are our intellectual property and copyrighted to us. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. It has been owned by the Hamilton family since the early 17th century. Killyleagh is in County Down, Ireland. Killyleagh town In April 1689 a battle was fought near the town when Col. Talbot of Cormac O'Neill's Regiment defeated supporters of King William under Henry Hunter. In 1667 the 2nd Earl married Lady Alice Moore, daughter of the Earl of Drogheda, and their only child died in infancy. Its gardens and lands are now a recreational park. The monastery at Nendrum was attacked as were the religious houses at Kilclief, Movilla, Downpatrick and Bangor. He was the next brother of James Hamilton, 1st Viscount Claneboye. It sits on the western side of Strangford Lough, 5 miles north-east of Downpatrick. 028 4272 9882 Open . We were lucky to have perfect weather to enjoy the beautiful views. It has been owned by the Hamilton family since the early 17th century. Robert Hamiton, of Killyleagh, county Down, (third son of Hugh Hamilton of Lisbane), married Jane Phillips, and died 1689, leaving issue: Ursula, married John Blackwood of Ballyleidy, county Down. Gawn's great-grandson Archibald Hamilton Rowan, an Irish nationalist of the United Irishmen, lived in the castle as one of his homes between 1806 and 1834 after his return from exile in America. James Hamilton of Neilsbrook's daughter Anne married Hans Stevenson and her estate passed to her son James Stevenson, then to his daughter Dorcas, later Dorcas Blackwood, 1st Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye (17261807), and on to Dorcas's great-grandson Frederick Temple Blackwood, 5th Baron Dufferin and Claneboye (18261902). The Vikings were the scourge of Irish coastal regions from the nineth to the twelfth centuries. By that time however, the 5 Hamilton cousins and Lady Alice (who had remarried the wealthy Lord Bargany) had all died. Once you've decided to travel to Killyleagh Castle, ebookers has a range of tools to help you choose the . In 1697 the probate court divided the castle, with Gawn and William gaining the main house and the two towers and their niece Anne receiving the bawn and gate house. It's still worth a visit - especially if you intend using the adjacent Greencastle-Gleenore (Carlingford) Ferry. It dominates the small village and is believed to be amongst one of the oldest inhabited castles in the country, with parts dating back to 1180. Killyleagh was settled in the 12th century by Norman knight John de Courcy who built fortifications on the site of the castle in 1180, as part of a series of fortifications around Strangford Lough for protection from the Vikings. The material employed for walling is the basaltic stone of the neighbourhood, and the dressings and finer class of work is of Scotch stone, which is extensively employed in Ulster. Gunboats sailed up Strangford Lough and destroyed the gatehouse of the castle. Ever since, the castle has played home to the Hamilton family. It has been owned by the Hamilton family since the early 17th century. He re-encased the entire exterior while respecting the original fenestration. My photos are from inside the castle some great history free to the public to walk around.. best to mind the steps as the building is old and with the open roof it makes them slippy. He erected the north tower and built (or perhaps restored) the long fortifiedbawn(wall) in the front of the castle. Killyleagh Castle. In fact, Gawn could no longer access his house as Anne owned the gatehouse! It follows the architectural style of a Loire Valley chteau, in its redesign by architect Sir Charles Lanyon. First record of Kastelholma (or Kastelholm) castle is from the year 1388 in the contract of Queen Margaret I of Denmark, where a large portion of the inheritance of Bo Jonsson Grip was given to the queen. It is also believed to be the oldest Castle in Ireland with bits of it dating back to 1180. In about 1625 Hamilton moved from Bangor to Killyleagh Castle, where he built the courtyard walls. Hamilton Rowan's grandson, Archibald Rowan-Hamilton, and his wife employed architect Sir Charles Lanyon from 1850 to renovate the castle, creating its romantic silhouette with the addition of the turrets. He was quickly interred at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, rather than the family plot at Bangor (he was subsequently re-interred). If you like our posts please help us to grow our readership by sharing any posts that you like. Four hundred years ago Gawn Rowan Hamilton's ancestor James Hamilton arrived in Co Down and settled in Killyleagh Castle, an event which is being celebrated tomorrow at the Dawn of the. However, you can view it from the outside when you stand on the street. , We happened upon Greencastle on our way to Downpatrick. Mr Fullerton of Belfast, a carpenter and stuccoist, was employed to produce the decorative plasterwork. 1617 1617. The castle was built in 1180 by John De Courcy as one of a series of fortifications around Strangford Lough to protect against the Vikings. Lady Alice soon discovered that her father-in-law, the 1st Earl of Clanbrassil, had stated in his will that should Henry die without issue, the estate would be divided between the five Hamilton cousins, the eldest sons of his five uncles. O'Neill sent his men to attack English soldiers after a quarrel and was consequently imprisoned. In 1697, the probate court divided the castle with Gawn and William taking the main house and the two towers. This Norman castle that once guarded the entrance to Carlingford Lough is worth a visit if youre in the Mournes. When Cromwell imposed a fine of 10,000 on James Hamilton for the return of the castle, Anne negotiated a settlement whereby her husband only had to pay 5,000 and got a pardon! James Hamilton of Neilsbrook had been very confident in a settlement due to it being in his favour and had bequeathed the estate to be divided in two, with one half going to his daughter, Anne, ne Hamilton, and the other half to his younger brothers known as Gawn and William Hamilton. He was afterward fined by parliament, for the return of the castle and his land. [3] A map of Killyleagh from 1625 showed the castle as having a single tower on the south side of a residence. The Baron added Hamilton to his surname just before marrying his distant cousin Hariot Georgina Rowan-Hamilton, daughter of Archibald Rowan-Hamilton, in 1862. .it was only upon the coming of age of the late Marquis of Dufferin, who said it should never be said of him that he kept any man out of his own hall-door, that the contention ended. By then, the cousins were all dead. 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is killyleagh castle open to the public