The Black Castle (Leighlinbrige, County Carlow, Ireland)

            This castle was built to protect a strategic crossing point over the River Barrow. The river crossing was defended in the late 12th and 14th centuries by an Anglo-Norman castle a short distance downriver. A Carmelite friary was founded here in the 1260s and the earlier part of the present tower was built in the 14th century to protect the friary and the adjacent bridge which was built around 1320 by Maurice Jakis, a canon of Kildare Cathedral.

Another castle, the 'White Castle' was built nearby around 1408 by Gerald FitzGerald, 5th Earl of Kildare. By 1840 there were no remains of this castle, and its location has been lost.

In 1547, after the friary was dissolved in Henry VIII's campaign to control the wealth and power of the Church, Sir Edward Bellingham, the English Lord Deputy, rebuilt much of the tower and fortified the bawn wall by adding a circular gun turret. Sir Peter Carew of Devon owned the castle in 1567, but in 1577 Rory Oge O'More of Laois is said to have captured the castle (then under the command of George Carew) and destroyed part the town; although according to John Ryan in The "History and Antiquities of the County of Carlow" (1833) the castle was not captured and though the skirmish between assailants and defenders came to the gates of the castle it was repelled.

During the 1590s O'Neill rebellion (the "Nine Years' War") the castle was repaired and re-garrisoned for the crown. In 1604 the castle was granted as socage by the king to George Tuchet, Lord Awdeley.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641 the castle was initally garrisoned by the Catholic Confederation, and in 1647 and 1649 was used as a rallying point by the Maquis of Ormond. In 1649 the castle was captured by Col. Hewson for the forces of Oliver Cromwell.

In the 1840's the remains of the castle itself consisted of a four sided enclosure wall 315 by 234 feet (96 by 71 m), approximately  7 feet (2.1 m) thick and enclosed on three sides by a ditch (or moat), and on the fourth by the river. The 15th century keep was situated at the northwestern corner, rectangular in form and nearly 50 feet (15 m) tall. By the 1840's the structure was derelict, with only one outer wall remaining, and a single floor of the keep, supported by an arch still standing; there was also the remains of a round tower in the southwest corner - the remains rose to 24 feet (7.3 m) with walls 10 feet (3.0 m) thick.

Half of the tower collapsed in 1888. The remains of the castle are now dilapidated - a 50 foot tall (15 m) broken castle tower and parts of one side of an enclosing wall are still remaining.

Taken in: Ireland / Carlow / Leighlinbridge (show map)

Taken on: April 27, 2016

Tags:

Irish Castle

Irish Castles

Leinster

Carlow

County Carlow

Ireland's Ancient East

Norman Ireland

Outdoor

Outside

Castles

Castle

River Barrow

Sky

Water

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Camera: Nikon D600, f/8.0, 1/200 sec, 28mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D600
Lens:	28.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	28mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-2 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
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