Cahir Castle
Cahir Castle is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s most picturesque castles and has featured prominently in a number of movies like Barry Lyndon, Excalibur and the Last Duel – but it has its own epic story to tell. According to the somewhat unreliable 17th-century historian Geoffrey Keating, the stone fort of Dún Iascaigh was one of the ancient royal residences of the Kings of Munster before the arrival of Christianity. It is from the word ‘Cathair’, that the modern name of the town is derived.
It is immediately clear how strategic the site is. Cahir Castle was constructed on an island in the centre of the River Suir, which acted as a natural moat. The only access into the castle was via a causeway that ran where the bridge is located today. The massive defensive walls of the castle are built on top of the limestone outcrop that forms the island. Making it nearly impossible to undermine the walls by digging under the foundation. Once inside the strong curtain wall, any attacker would have to get through three key defensive zones – the Outer Ward, the Middle Ward and the Inner Ward.
The Outer Ward was where the garrison and minor officials would have lived, and it would have been a busy and bustling place, usually with livestock and key ancillary buildings like blacksmiths and other trades present. The Middle Ward was the next defensive zone. It was separated from the Inner Ward by the formidable defence of a fortified gate with a machicolation (or murder hole) above, from where defenders could throw down rocks or boiling oil on any attackers. The gate has a portcullis, one of the only working examples in Ireland, and it led into the so-called ‘Trapping Area’. This was designed to corral attackers into a tight, confined space. The wall walks and machicolations above would have allowed defenders to pour volleys of arrows and stones down into the tightly-packed attackers. If you safely navigated that, you would find yourself in the Inner Ward. For more discussion on Irish castles and their defences, check out this episode of our Amplify Archaeology Podcast with Professor Tadhg O’Keeffe.
The castle that we can see today reflects centuries of adaption and change. It is thought that the castle was first built by Philip de Worcester in the middle of the 13th century, though for much of its history it has been in the possession of the powerful Butler family. The structure, layout and appearance of the castle altered over the years as the defensive features sometimes outweighed comfort and fashion owing to political stress and upheaval. Further works were completed on the castle in the 15th and 16th centuries and the last remodelling of the castle was carried out in the 19th century, which is why it is one of the most handsome castles in Ireland today.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Cahir Castle is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s most picturesque castles and has featured prominently in a number of movies like Barry Lyndon, Excalibur and the Last Duel – but it has its own epic story to tell. According to the somewhat unreliable 17th-century historian Geoffrey Keating, the stone fort of Dún Iascaigh was one of the ancient royal residences of the Kings of Munster before the arrival of Christianity. It is from the word ‘Cathair’, that the modern name of the town is derived.
It is immediately clear how strategic the site is. Cahir Castle was constructed on an island in the centre of the River Suir, which acted as a natural moat. The only access into the castle was via a causeway that ran where the bridge is located today. The massive defensive walls of the castle are built on top of the limestone outcrop that forms the island. Making it nearly impossible to undermine the walls by digging under the foundation. Once inside the strong curtain wall, any attacker would have to get through three key defensive zones – the Outer Ward, the Middle Ward and the Inner Ward. The Outer Ward was where the garrison and minor officials would have lived, and it would have been a busy and bustling place, usually with livestock and key ancillary buildings like blacksmiths and other trades present. The Middle Ward was the next defensive zone. It was separated from the Inner Ward by the formidable defence of a fortified gate with a machicolation (or murder hole) above, from where defenders could throw down rocks or boiling oil on any attackers. The gate has a portcullis, one of the only working examples in Ireland, and it led into the so-called ‘Trapping Area’. This was designed to corral attackers into a tight, confined space. The wall walks and machicolations above would have allowed defenders to pour volleys of arrows and stones down into the tightly-packed attackers. If you safely navigated that, you would find yourself in the Inner Ward. For more discussion on Irish castles and their defences, check out this episode of our Amplify Archaeology Podcast with Professor Tadhg O’Keeffe.
The castle that we can see today reflects centuries of adaption and change. It is thought that the castle was first built by Philip de Worcester in the middle of the 13th century, though for much of its history it has been in the possession of the powerful Butler family. The structure, layout and appearance of the castle altered over the years as the defensive features sometimes outweighed comfort and fashion owing to political stress and upheaval. Further works were completed on the castle in the 15th and 16th centuries and the last remodelling of the castle was carried out in the 19th century, which is why it is one of the most handsome castles in Ireland today.
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Cahir Castle, and its defensive walls • Tipperary
The Siege of Cahir Castle & the Arrival of Cromwell
A view through the Trapping Area towards the gate • Tipperary
If you look carefully at the stone wall surrounding the castle, you may notice an iron cannonball embedded near the top of the wall. According to tradition, the ball is a legacy of the 1599 siege of the castle, when it was attacked by Crown forces under the command of Robert Deveraux, Earl of Essex. He was once a favourite of Queen Elizabeth Ist, and he had been sent to act as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1599, during the conflict that became known as the Nine Years War. He was well supported with one of the most powerful armies ever deployed in Ireland, of around 19,000 foot soldiers and 1300 horse. Despite the investment in his army, when Essex arrived he was faced with a difficult situation, after the Battle of the Yellow Ford (1598), the Irish forces under the fine strategist Earl of Tyrone, had nearly broken the English hold on Ireland. Essex had a growing reputation after success in Spain, but he viewed the Irish conflict disparagingly, as being unworthy of his attention. He first relieved the siege on Portlaoise, then secured the pass of Cashel and then continued to Cahir Castle.
Essex marched on Cahir with approximately 3,000 foot soldiers, 200 calvary, cannons and culverin. These artillery pieces were dragged by manpower all the way from Clonmel to Cahir, which would have been exhausting work The siege on the castle lasted for three days before the artillery breached the walls. James Gillada Butler, who led the defence of the castle in opposition to his older brother the Earl of Ormonde, managed to escape by jumping into the swirling waters of the River Suir and swimming away. Essex was thrilled with his victory, however it was of little strategic value for the campaign. Unwilling to come to grips with Hugh O’Neill, Essex floundered about the country, ineffectually before deciding to take matters into his own hands. Against orders he followed his own initiative and decided to negotiate with Hugh O’Neill. This did not go down well in the English Court.
A view through the Trapping Area towards the gate • Tipperary
Elizabeth had banned Essex from returning from Ireland until the rebellion was quashed, and was enraged that instead of returning with O’Neills head on a spike, Essex had decided to return with an unwelcome truce. He was charged with dereliction of duty and told to retire from public life, Essex, believing that the Queen was being manipulated by his jealous rivals began to plot against Queen Elizabeth. He was found guilty of treason and beheaded in 1601. For more on the story of the Nine Years War check out this excellent publication by James O’Neill, published by Four Courts Books.
As the nature of warfare changed with the arrival of the cannon; the old stone fortresses had become vulnerable (as so clearly demonstrated in 1599). As their strategic and military worth had become lessened, they began to take on more of a domestic role as high-status grand houses. Despite this, the castle was still seen as an obstacle to Oliver Cromwell during his campaign in 1650. His letter to the garrison still survives:
Sir – having brought the army and my cannon near this place, according to my usual manner in summoning places, I thought fit to offer you terms honourable to soldiers: that you may march away, with your baggage, arms and colours, free from injuries or violence. But if I be, notwithstanding, necessitated to bend my cannon upon you, you must expect the extremity usual in such cases. To avoid blood, this is offered to you, by Your Servant – Oliver Cromwell.
By this time Cromwell’s ruthless reputation was known across Ireland, and the garrison of Cahir Castle decided to take him up on his offer and marched away without loss of life. Much of the castle that we see today is a result of extensive renovations in the 19th century. It is still an imposing and atmospheric place, and served as a setting for Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 classic Barry Lyndon, John Boorman’s 1981 epic Excalibur and more recently in the Ridley Scott directed film The Last Duel.
Visitors today can enjoy a tour through the castle and see many of the features that made it such a formidable fortress in the medieval period. When you have finished your visit, I highly recommend taking the river walk along to the beautiful 19th century cottage orné known as the Swiss Cottage.
Upper left: inside the Great Hall • Lower left: cannons in the Inner Ward • Right: the portcullis mechanism
Top: inside the Great Hall • Middle: the portcullis mechanism • Bottom: cannons in the Inner Ward
Cahir Castle Visitor Information
First built in the mid-13th century, Cahir Castle is one of the finest structures of its kind in Ireland. It has been added to, improved and remodelled in subsequent centuries, making it an exceptionally handsome castle situated in the picturesque Tipperary town of the same name.
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