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Location
near An Chathair, County Tipperary, Ireland
Description
Cahir Castle is a situated in the centre of the town of Cahir. Built on a rocky island on the River Suir, 12 miles south east of Tipperary in the south of Ireland.
Cahir castle is an extremely well preserved castle. It has retained its tower, keep and most of its defensive walls. The complex comprises of a series of courts, the inner court is set to the north at the highest point with the keep to the south which originally served as a gatehouse.
Facilities
The castle is open to the public and offers both guided tours and a modern and informative audio visual presentation entitled 'partly hidden, partly revealed'. It is a popular tourist attraction because it is one of the largest and well preserved castles in Ireland and has managed to keep many of it's original features.
The castle is open year round between 09:30 and 17:30 March to October and
09:30 - 16:30 November - February.
History
The castle was built in 1142 by the Prince of Thomond, Conor O'Brien on the site of an earlier fort.
Edward III granted the castle to the James Butler in 1357 and also awarded him the title of Baron of Cahir in recognition of his loyalty.
The castle was considered 'impregnable' until a three day siege in 1599 when the castle was bombarded with heavy cannon fire and was eventually taken by the Devereux, Earl of Essex. During the Irish Confederate Wars it was surrounded by hostile forces twice more and taken by Lord Inchiquin in 1647 and then Oliver Cromwell in the conquest of Ireland. The castle layout was changed considerably and enlarged during work to repair some of the damage caused by the battles, but was then left abandoned until 1840 when the partial rebuilding of the Great Hall took place.
The castle became the property of the state after the death of Lord Cahir in 1961; it was classified as a national monument and taken into the care of the Office of Public Works.
Other Castles in the Area
Ardfinnan Castle, County Tipperary
Ardmayle Castle, County Tipperary
Ballindoney Castle, County Tipperary
Burncourt Castle, County Tipperary
Court Castle, County Tipperary
Lismore Castle, County Waterford
Loughlohery Castle, County Tipperary
Milltown St John Castle, County Tipperary
Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary
Sleady Castle, County Waterford
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