Woodstock Castle

Woodstock Castle stands as a substantial Anglo-Norman hall house on the western bank of the River Barrow, guarding a vital medieval crossing near Athy. Richard de St. Michael likely built the two-storey structure in the thirteenth century, paying King John a heavy fine to secure the lands that would later attract Robert Bruce and Owen Roe O'Neill. Thick walls and elegant mullioned windows still frame the river, preserving the memory of a bustling community where Crutched Friars and local lords once lived beside the water.