King John's Castle/Gardai Barracks/ Dungarvan Castle
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| Photo by Ann Ormond Fennell (me) |
Prince
John, landed in Waterford with 300 knights, foot soldiers and archers in April
1185. John and his entourage were greeted by several Irish leaders. When John
saw the long bearded Irish kings, he laughed and further insulted them by
pulling their beards and mocking their customs. Insulted by John’s behaviour
the Irish declared him to be "an ill-mannered child… from whom no good
could be hoped".
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| Photo by Ann Ormond Fennell (me again) |
It was
during this trip that John initiated the building of several castles, Dungarvan
being one. Dungarvan Castle is a typical example of the Norman shell keeps commonly found in
England but rare in Ireland. The castle consists of a curtain wall, a corner tower and a
gate tower. It was strategically positioned at the mouth of the Colligan River.
From here ships could be anchored making
it one of the strongly held points along the coast.
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| Photo by Ann Ormond Fennell (yes, you guessed it.) |
King John returned to Ireland
again, landing in Co. Waterford on June 20th 1210. He remained in
Ireland for the summer. In 1215 he granted Dungarvan a charter facilitating
its growth into a vibrant urban centre.
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| Photo by Ann Ormond Fennell (again) |
The castle was converted into an infantry
barrack in the 18th Century.
During the Civil War the barracks was occupied by the IRA. They set fire to it before evacuating in August of 1922.
During the Civil War the barracks was occupied by the IRA. They set fire to it before evacuating in August of 1922.
When the Gardai Siochanna were founded in 1922 they restored the castle and used it as the Gardai Barracks until 1987. I spent many a Saturday rummaging around in the dirt, in hopes of making an major archaeological find. The barracks was also a popular venue for hand ball.
The castle fell into disrepair until Duchas took over its management and began restoration.
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| Photo by Ann Ormond Fennell (last one!) |
8 comments:
A spiffy bit of history and nice photos.
Oh, looks like another trip to the UK is needed for me!
What I wonder is why the Irish leaders let John get so physically near them. And, to pull on someone's beard! That John sounds like one looney king. I enjoyed the post immensely. :-)
The View from the Top of the Ladder
Cool history and great pictures!
Stopping by from the A to Z list. :-)
Cool piece of history. Love the pictures too.
I am so glad that you are writing now. Get to see so many historic pictures. Thanks.
Interesting places, love stone work, love stones!
Yolanda Renée at Murderous Imaginings
I'm enjoying your bits of history.
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