We first visited this castle on May 31st, 2001, but it was a quick visit.
This is an imposing Norman stronghold, it was built in 1201 by Philip de Prendergast, who arrived from Wales along with his brother Maurice in 1169. When Philip's son, Gerald, died in 1251 the castle passes to Maurice Rocheford, who was the husband of Maud, Gerald's daughter. The Rocheford family lived in the castle until 1418. Ten years later the castle was in possession of Donnchadh mac Art MacMurrough-Kavanagh, king of Leinster, but when the power of the Kavanagh family started diminishing, in 1550 the possession passed to the Crown. In 1569 sir Edmund Butler, Earl of Ormond, attacked and sacked the town of Enniscorthy. In 1581 the poet Edmund Spenser leased the castle, but six years later the lease passed to sir Henry Wallop who repaired the castle and used it as his residence until his death in 1624. In 1649 the castle was attacked and won by Oliver Cromwell. In the following years the castle was used as a prison during the 1798 Rebellion, as an estate office, registration office for Diocese and as a printing office in 1863, as an accomodation for the police during the Fenian uprising in 1867. In 1916 it was occupied by the rebel forces during the Easter Rising. In 1923 it occupied by the Free State and Republican forces. At last in the early 1960's it was turned into a museum.
It is now home to the Wexford County Museum, which contains extensive material related to 1798 rebellion, as well as items of local and agricultural interest.
UPDATE: June 13th, 2013 - While we were in the area we thought it was a good idea to have a deeper look at it.
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