castles historical ardee

A smaller, but older, medieval tower house than Ardee Castle. It was given by Cromwell to the Hatch family. It is still used as a residence and contains two eighteenth century cannons at its entrance....

A well-preserved tower-house of 15th century date. It has four storeys, and the bottom one is vaulted. There are also some nicely carved trefoil-headed windows. There is a fine 'murder-hole' above the door enabling the defenders to drop things on the heads of intruders. One of the unusual features of the castle are the two turrets, one containing stairs, the other a lavatory, which project from the sides of two diagonally opposite corners....

The castle was founded by Roger de Peppard in 1207, but much of the present building does not go back beyond the 15th century. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was used for attacks on Ulster, and two English Lord Deputies, Stanley (1414) and the White Earl of Ormond (1452), died here on such expeditions. After the Restoration, it was granted to Theobald Taffe, Earl of Carlingford....