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Huntington Castle

Huntington Castle

Southeast Ireland | County Carlow

Huntington Castle is located in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow (about 30 km southeast of Carlow Town). It was built in 1625 by Sir Laurence Esmonde (major general of King James I's forces in Ireland and governor of Duncannon Fort) as a garrison, which later became his family home. He received the title of Lord Esmonde for his loyal service. Laurence married Ailish O'Flaherty, granddaughter of the pirate queen, Grace O'Malley, causing a family scandal. In the 1680s, the grandson of Sir Laurence Esmonde began to modernize and transform the castle into a more comfortable family home. He also established a formal garden which we can admire until today. This includes the French Lime Avenue, Yew Walk, lawns and fish ponds. The family name has changed due to inheritance down the female line and the present family name is Durdin Robertson, who are direct descendants of the Esmondes. Another extensive changes took place in the 1860s and were carried out by Alexander Durdin and than by Manning Durdin Robertson at the beginning of XX century. Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting features of the Huntington Castle is the Temple of Isis, an ancient Egyptian goddess. The eclectic spiritual centre situated in the castle's basement was founded by Olivia Robertson, her brother Lawrence and his wife Bobby in 1976. Temple of Isis promotes the female aspect of divinity. To this day, the castle is owned by the Durdin Robertson family and serves as a guest house, tourist attraction and venue for private events. There are also tearooms and gift shop.

  • GARDENS & PLAYGROUND:
    • May-September
      • Daily:11am-5pm
    • Tickets
      • Adults: €6
      • Children: €3
  • CASTLE TOURS:
    • May-September
      • Daily:2pm,3pm,4pm,5pm
    • Tickets
      • Adults: €10
      • Children: €5
  • CONTACT :
  • COORDINATES :
    • 52.690484
    • -6.649111
  • CAR PARK :
    • Yes

Photos from Huntington Castle