Hello Everyone,

Yesterday, I went for a coffee walk and decided to explore one of the historical sites not far away. Last year very often a was going for just a walk around this place but never visited the castle house itself. It looks so big, and I thought it would take me an hour, but it is a quick visit.
I loved the ceiling in each room – they are so lovely painted.
The castle and the gardens are located in south Dublin in the neighborhood with the same name. It is 30 – 40 min by bus or car( depending on traffic) from the city center.

Map.

A bit of the history of the Castle: 

The Castle house is the earliest fortified house in Ireland, and it dates from Elizabethan times. The Castle is part of a chain of castles built to protect Dublin from other Irish clans, especially the Wicklow one’s. The current house was built for about two years in 1583 by Adam Loftus, who came to Ireland earlier. Loftus was involved in the establishment of Trinity College as well.

The house stayed in possession in the Loftus family the end of the eighth century, when it was abandoned.

The years after saw a few different families owning, rebuilding, and selling the house. By 1986 the Castle was for sale again and locals had fears of demolishing the estate, but fortunately, the same year was declared a National Monument and later acquired by Dublin County Consul.

The Castle is in reconstruction, and just half of it is complete and open for visitors. When I was there, you could still see some of the walls not being completed.

If you want to learn more details, the official website has a lot of information; follow the link here.

I dont like taking photoes inside museums or building but here are a few I took:

The Castle Estate has a park and gardens – I love green spaces 🙂

I have visited them a couple of times, they are well maintained, and you can have a picnic, grab a coffee or enjoy a short run.
There is a playground for the kids :

During one of my walks, I found this a little bit hidden playgrounds with wood made things 🙂 Well, my inner kid got awoken, and I did try them – climbed a few of them.

Nearby is a tree that you can go inside; heh, this part of the park reminds me of my childhood.

It is a lovely small place you can visit on the weekend and have a historic sneak peek of the castle house. Sometimes there are exhibitions organized inside, but you will need to check the website for the actual events.
Usually, it is open every day and is free admission – which is typically the case for most museums in Ireland – lucky us living here.

Lovely walk 🙂