Castle

According to Bradley et al. (1986, vol. 1, 74-7), the archbishop's castle at Ballymore is referred to as early as 1181-90, and was probably erected shortly before this date. In 1203, King John instructed the justiciar to restore the castle of Ballymore to the archbishop, and later, in 1274-5, the justiciar, Geoffrey de Geneville, accounted for monies spent on the fortification of Ballymore castle, but it’s not known what was involved. In 1326, the castle is described in a dilapidated state in an extent of the manor of Ballymore: within the castle were, ‘a hall now thrown down, a chamber for the archbishop, a chapel, a small chamber for clerks, a kitchen roofed with shingles, a stable and a grange, thatched.’ There had also been a granary and a chamber for the constable, but these had been burned down. In 1373, the archbishop appointed Thomas FitzEustace as constable of the castle, initiating the association of the Eustace family with Ballymore. In 1453-4, parliament made an order for the repair of the castle. Little is know of its later history, but in 1669 it was leased to William Williams, a Dublin brewer, on condition that he kept it in repair. However, by 1773 it was in ruins, when Beranger’s drawing (‘Ballymore Eustace Castle, Co. of Wicklow. (sic) 16 M from Dublin’, NLI) shows a three-storied structure comprising one wall with a wide vertical gap, formed by robbed out windows, and the returns of two other walls; one with a bartizan at first floor-level, and the second with a bartizan at third floor-level. The ruin is shown on an elevation but it’s unclear if it is on a hill or a ridge. No visible surface trace of Ballymore castle survives and even its precise location is uncertain. It may have stood on Close Hill (KD029-011003-), on the N edge of Ballymore, but local tradition suggests it stood on Garrison Hill, on the S edge of the town, close to the River Liffey. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 30 August 2013

The castle at Ballymore Eustace East was likely built by the Archbishop of Cashel in the late 12th century, with references dating to 1181–90. It is remembered as an early medieval ecclesiastical stronghold and is significant as one of the few recorded castles associated with the archbishops in Ireland.