Drimnagh Castle holds spooky secrets if the legends are to be believed. Some say it is haunted by the alchemist who lived there, others say it is the ghost of Eleanor, who died after a failed love affair.
Drimnagh Castle (Caisleán Dhroimeanaigh in Irish) still stands on the outskirts of Drimnagh, outside Dublin. This Norman castle is unique in Ireland and boasts of being the only surviving castle with a surrounding flooded moat from the River Camac.
The chronicles of Drimnagh Castle date back to the early days of Ireland as a nation. The first recorded owner of the castle was Sir Hugh de Bernival already in 1216. The inheritance of ownership passed down through the generations and the Bernival family eventually adopted the surname Barnewell, sometimes known as Barnewall.
Although the foundations of the castle were laid in the mid-13th century, the basic structures that survive today date back to the early 15th century.
Drimnagh Castle remained in the care of the Hatch family until the mid-1950s. Louis Hatch gave the castle to Dr. P. Dunne, Bishop of Nara, who then sold it for a symbolic sum to the Christian brothers. The Christian Brothers used the area to establish a school. This legacy lasted until 1956, when they moved to modern schools and a nearby monastery.
In the mid-1980s, the castle fell into ruin. Roofs had collapsed, windows were missing, and the walls were in partial ruin. It was during this period of neglect that Peter Pearson, an artist associated with An Taisce (Ireland's national trust), initiated the involvement of a local committee in the restoration project. FÁS (Foras Áiseanna Saothair), the state training body, has become an essential partner in this painstaking renovation program.
Alchemist in the tower of Drimnagh Castle
Although Drimnagh Castle has seen centuries of history and restoration, it is not without its spooky tales. One of the alleged ghosts haunting the place is that of the Man in Black. Apparently he was an alchemist working in an senior tower from the 17th century. According to legend, he made a pact with the devil and for his sins had to walk the earth forever.
However, the most widely told story is about a juvenile girl who is said to haunt the castle to this day. A disturbing story that lingers within the antique walls is that of Eleanor Barnwall in the tardy 16th century.
Eleanor's descent into eternal sadness
Eleanora Barnwall was the orphaned niece of Hugh Barnewall and was destined to marry her cousin Edmund Barnwall to keep the fortunes in the family, a man she liked and respected as a family but did not love as a man.
One day she went to a party at her friend's estate on the outskirts of Dublin and Eleanor's fate changed forever. She met her true love, Sean O'Byrne. Sean, or Hugh as he was sometimes called, was from the O'Byrne clan of Wicklow, one of the enemies of the Barnwalls and the remaining Norman families in Ireland. Still, she loved him, even though she didn't have the courage to tell her family, and the wedding was taking place.
Eleanor and Edmund set out on their journey from Drimnagh Castle to great fanfare, as befits a noble wedding. The destination of their trip was the Cathedral of St. Patrick's Day, where a great ceremony was to take place.
Sean O'Byrne and his followers attacked Edmund's carriage when they were halfway there, breaking up the dreamlike procession and attacking them. Edmund died in a tumultuous scene.
In the chaos that ensued, Eleanor's uncle Hugh took advantage of fleeting moments to unite his knights and repel the attack. Many O'Byrnes met tragic ends and, heartbreakingly, so did Eleanor's beloved Sean.
Eleanor was pushed back to Drimnagh Castle. Her uncle was furious and imprisoned Eleanor within the castle's imposing walls, driven by a whirlwind of emotions – partly out of concern for her safety, but mostly overcome by overwhelming anger. In his eyes, she was responsible for her audacious attack on the wedding – a stigma she could never escape.
In the middle of a night or two after the attack, she managed to escape from the castle and make her way to Sean O'Byrne's resting place, deep in the Dublin mountains. She clung to the ground that covered her lover until she too died from exposure.
As the wind howled and snowflakes covered her fragile body, Eleanor's sorrowful existence culminated in a disturbing tragedy – a tale forever written in the annals of Drimnagh Castle's tortured history.
Reference:
CASTLE STORIES | Drimnaghcastle
Dublin Tales 1: The Haunted Scoop
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