Upon a high hill, a castle was built in 1235 by the Knights Templar to protect Mourne abbey. This building was named Castle More. The castle was later purchased by the De Cogan family. In 1439, Castle More was taken over by the Thomas FitzJames FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond. In the early 17th century, the castle was sold to the Barrett family who changed the name to Barrett castle. Cromwellian troops attacked and damaged the castle in 1645, but it was taken back in 1690. Nevertheless the Barretts lost 12,000 acres of land.
The castle stands on a private land and the owner does not allow anybody to enter the property. The coordinates for this page have been taken at the gate on the side of the road, across from the owner's farm.
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