Turret — Bullock

The coastal castle of Bullock (Blóic) (DU023-020001-) now in the grounds of Our Lady’s Manor nursing home run by the Carmelite order stands on a natural rise of ground overlooking Bullock Harbour and quay (DU023-020004-) to the NE, a turret (DU023-020006-) stood 135m to the SE which was a mural tower on the ‘Old Town Wall’ (DU023-020002-) of the medieval settlement or fishing town of Bullock.  Bullock Martello Tower (DU023-033----) stands 380m to the SE. The historic town of Dalkey (DU023-023----) lies 780m to the S.  Sandycove Martello Tower (DU023-019----) is visible 520m to the NW.  Bullock Castle stands in the parish of Monkstown, in the archdiocese of Dublin, barony of Rathdown, in Dun-Laoghaire Rathdown.  Bullock castle consists of a gatehouse/gatetower with adjoining hall and solar or garedrobe tower which formed the northern perimeter of the bawn wall built to defend the medieval seaport and fishing village of Bullock.  The harbour and village of Bullock was protected by town defences described as an ‘Old Town Wall’ which had at least one angle or mural tower located 135m to the S of the castle as shown on the 1837 edition of the Ordnance Survey six-inch map.  This stone wall was described by William Wakeman in 1848 as the castle of Bullock was ‘furnished with a bawn of this kind, but it is much larger than usual’ (Wakeman 1848, 141). The reference to the larger than usual bawn wall, is the description of the large walled area or masonry defences that protected the harbour, quay, castle and fishing village of Bullock.  The entrance to the fortified settlement and harbour was defended by the castle which stood on the N perimeter of the town/village defences.  In 1781 Bullock Castle and settlement was described by the Tipperary antiquarian and artist Austin Cooper as; ‘the small maritime village of Bullock which has likewise been mentioned by Mr. Wilson with the former, he is equally accurate……..This place tho’[ugh] much decayed exhibits a complete Walled town in Miniature, from the Cas[tl]e. a Wall extends east, to a small tower, part whereof still remains; & thence turning north, at a proportionate distance where Cabbin now stands; (but formerly a tower) (Price 1942, 68).  Bullock Castle and Turret / Mural Tower was painted by James Arthur O'Connor in 1830 with the title ‘A view of Bullock Castle and Bawn, Dalkey, Co. Dublin’.  The building was described recently by Christies Auction House as follows; 'Bullock Castle stands about two miles east of Dun Laoghaire harbour just above the shore of Dublin Bay Harbour on the road to Dalkey. It is thought to have been built by the Cistercian Monks of St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin, in order to protect their fishing rights. Following the suppression of the monasteries during King Henry VIII's reign it was leased to the Crown and later in the 16th Century it became the property of two brothers, Christopher and Richard Fagan, both of whom became Lord Mayors of Dublin. The ruined tower [DU023-020006-] to the left of the composition was a watch tower or defence in the curtain wall which extends to the right of the picture, which was built to protect the small harbour which could originally be reached only through an arch in the castle which still exists.  The two storey pedimented house in front of the castle was built in the first half of the 18th century, remodelled or rebuilt in the 19th Century, and demolished in the 1980s. The tower which was shown in ordnance survey maps of 1837 was demolished circa 1850. The castle itself, which has been restored, now forms part of Our Lady's Manor Nursing Home. In the background of the picture can also be seen Martello tower [DU023-019----] number 11 (South Dublin), Sandycove Point, one of the many built circa 1804-5 in order to defend Dublin from the possibility of invasion by the French under Napoleon Bonaparte' (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4089640).   Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien Date of Compilation: 07 November 2025