We had driven through Carnew in the past, and we had always seen the castle gate closed.
This time we were driving through the town, the castle wasn't on our list, but the gate on the north (10°) side of the building was open and we seized the moment.
We asked the permission to Christopher, the owner, who was so kind to guide us in a short tour around his property.
The castle was built in 1575, on a land of 69 acres to protect the south border of the Pale. It was destroyed during the Rebellion in 1641-1642, and remained abandoned for about 150 years, when it was rebuilt and extended with Victorian architectural influences, and converted in a residential building.
Only the two defensive towers belong to the original castle, the rear section is the more modern part. The windows that we see today were built or added in the 19th century, the original ones were walled up.
In 2009, part of the boundary wall along the public footpath on Main Street collapsed due to a storm. It is possible to tell what part of the wall was rebuilt.
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