Rathfarnham Castle

  Rathfarnham Castle

  Rathfarnham, Dublin, D14 K3T6

  Ph: (01) 493 9452

  Hours:   Winter (late September to late April)

                  Wednesday to Sunday 10.30 am to 17.00 pm

                  (last admissions 16.15 pm)

                   Summertime:

                   Open 7 days

                    10.30 am to 17.00 pm

  Admission:

  Adult €5

  Family €13

  Student €3

  Seniors/Group €4 each   

  All info Website:  https://rathfarnhamcastle.ie/           

  info: 

  ✨Rathfarnham Castle is a 16th-century fortified house in Rathfarnham, South Dublin, Ireland. This historical landmark has been standing for centuries and is well-known for its beautiful architecture.

 ✨The earliest Irish castle on the site was occupied by the Harold family, who were tenants of the le Bret family. It was replaced by the present building during land confiscations from the Eustace family of Baltinglass, to whom it had passed, because of their involvement in the Second Desmond Rebellion. The Geraldines used the castle to defend the Pale from Irish clans in the nearby Wicklow Mountains. It is believed the present castle was built around 1583 for Archbishop Adam Loftus. Originally a semi-fortified and battlemented structure, it underwent extensive alterations in the 18th century.

 ✨In 1852, the castle was bought by the Lord Chancellor, Francis Blackburne, whose family resided there for three generations. However, in 1912, the property developers Bailey & Gibson acquired the castle and divided up the estate. The eastern part became the Castle Golf Club, the castle and the southwestern portion were bought in 1913 by the Jesuit Order, and the northwestern part was devoted to

 ✨The Jesuits are an order renowned for their education, and one of them, Father O’Leary S.J., constructed a seismograph. This machine could detect earth tremors and earthquakes from anywhere in the world, and for a time, Rathfarnham Castle became a source of earthquake information for the national media. Jesuits would spend their Tertianship at Rathfarnham.

✨In 1986, the Jesuits sold Rathfarnham Castle but before leaving, they removed the stained glass windows – made in the famous Harry Clarke studios – from the chapel and donated them to Tullamore Catholic Church which had been destroyed by fire in 1983. The other windows were donated to Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross and Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin.

Stained glass windows are often seen as a symbol of opulence, and while that may be true, there are many reasons why the Jesuits decided to remove them from the castle before selling it. One reason could be that they wanted to give back to the community, especially to those who had suffered from recent tragedies. By donating the windows to local organizations, they were able to help brighten up someone’s day and perhaps bring a little bit of hope during a difficult time.

  ✨In 1985, the castle was sold to Delaware Properties and it was feared that the company would demolish it. However, after immense public pressure to save the building, the State of Delaware purchased it in 1987 and declared it a National Monument.

 ✨The Office of Public Works is currently carrying out extensive refurbishments throughout the castle, but visitors can still enjoy tantalising glimpses of its earlier existence that have been uncovered during research.