Friday, September 5, 2014

Barnaderg Castle





The name Barnaderg comes from the Irish Bearna Dhearg meaning "red gap"
The castle dates back to the 16thCentury and is claimed to have been one of the last castles built in Ireland.
Built by Malachy O'Kelly, Barnaderg and the surrounding areas were known to be a stronghold of the O'Kelly clan.

The castle is said at one time to have had a draw bridge, seeing how saturated the land around the ruin can be most of the year it is pretty easy to visualize how this would have looked.

Access - The castle is located just outside the village of Barnaderg on the R332, parking can be found roadside.
Apart from the mostly flooded fields, cattle would seem to be a regular feature in and around the site.