For four centuries Huntington Castle has watched and protected as a village’s history has unfolded. From its capture by Oliver Cromwell to its link to the penning of the finest eulogy in the English language, and from the formation of a new religion to nine ghostly figures who were hanged by the North Cork Militia, Shea Tomkins explores a hidden gem at the heart of Carlow’s heritage …

 

“Hollywood couldn’t have built a better home for a horror film than Huntington Castle,” so says the narrator of a segment on the famed landmark which aired on RTÉ television in 1976.
This afternoon, however, the magnificent three-storied fortified building which has stood sentinel over Clonegal village since 1625, towers in bright autumn sunshine.

As my aunt, home on holidays from Denver, Colorado, my nine-year-old daughter and I drive along the avenue, flanked by centuries-old tall French lime trees, there is not a ghost, spirit, or Christopher Lee in sight.

Pointing to the lawn in front of the castle, my aunt recalls how her mother used to picnic there in the 1920s, and that the owners were always welcoming to the villagers.
In the picturesque courtyard, the scent of warm scones wafts from the tea room, and here we meet owner Alexander Durdin-Robertson as well as today’s tour guide, local historian with a special interest in genealogy, Keith Tobin.

“The castle is celebrating its 400th birthday this year,” says Alexander, “visitors to Huntington get the tour and learn about four hundred years of the building’s history, but we also have guests who come to stay overnight and when they specifically ask for the ghost stories, we are happy to oblige.
“We often get requests from paranormal groups, and ghost hunters, but we politely turn them down as the spirits that reside here are friendly, and we live here as a family in the castle with young children, and like to live alongside them peacefully.”

In the yard, my aunt is chatting to a group of Canadian tourists who have signed up for the four o’clock tour, while my daughter has skipped off along the nature trail which takes her in the direction of the playground, on the grounds of the working farm. Alex calls after her to be sure to feed the pigs. “They love eating acorns at this time of year,” he says.

At the centre of two river valleys, the rivers Slaney and Derry, Clonegal Castle was built in 1625, on the site of an old twelfth-century Franciscan abbey (the ruins of which can be seen in the gardens).
There have been people living on the site for over 5,000 years and a Neolithic bullaun (a communal grindstone) remains in place.

A pre-Christian well, the well of Saint Brigid, runs deep underneath our feet, and it was once an invaluable source of drinkable water in the event of the original castle coming under siege. The castle was captured by Oliver Cromwell as he marched on Kilkenny in 1650, however, unlike many other buildings it did not burn at his hands.

Built as a garrison ‘or Plantation castle’ on the main road between Dublin and Wexford, the building, with its round tower overlooking the courtyard, was a reward to Anglo Norman soldier, Sir Laurence Esmonde, for his loyal military service to Queen Elizabeth.

Esmonde had previously been sheriff of Co. Waterford, and constable of Duncannon Fort in south county Wexford, from 1606 until his death in the mid-1640s. The Esmondes were also involved in the construction of other buildings around Wexford, such as Duncannon Fort and Johnstown Castle. A man who found it difficult to commit to just one woman, one of Esmonde’s brides was a lady by the name of Ailish O’Flaherty, a granddaughter of the pirate queen, Grace O’Malley, with whom he had a son named Thomas.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own