Castle

This is a possible tower house and bawn which were originally the property of the Mernin family. In 1496 the castle at Ardmore was briefly occupied by Perkin Warbeck, and from the late 16th century it was owned by Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1593 Sir John Dowdall took over the castle and it later passed to Sir Edward Harris (Coleman 1898, 254). By the 1640s it was owned by the bishop, and it was besieged and captured from the Confederate Catholics by Lord Dungarvan and Lord Broghill in 1642, when over 100 of the defenders were killed. From accounts of the siege (Buckley, J. 1898) the castle was within pistol shot of Ardmore cathedral (WA040-008002-), probably to the NE where there is a large platform (dims. c. 100m N-S; c. 100m E-W) defined by a scarp (H 2m) at E, just outside the church precinct. (Smith 1746, 72; Westropp 1903, 374-5) Buckley, J. (1898) The siege of Ardmore castle, 1642. WAJ 4, 54-9. Coleman, J. (1898) Notes and Queries – ‘Ardmore castle and Minehead, Co. Waterford. WAJ 4, 254-5. Smith, C. (1746) The history of the town and county of Waterford. W. Wilson. Dublin. Westropp, T. J. (1903) Notes on the antiquities of Ardmore. JRSAI, 33, 353-80. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload/revision: 23 December 2008

The castle at Dysert was originally held by the Mernin family and later by Sir Walter Raleigh in the late 16th century. It is remembered for its possible use as a defensive tower house and for its association with prominent historical figures.