Ireland has over 3,000 castles, with over 65 castles alone in Dublin it is quite amazing the hidden gems in Dublin. Take Lusk Round Tower and Medieval Tower/Church. In these beautifully maintained buildings lie the following stunning effigy's of Sir Christopher Barnewall (de Bearnabhal) and his wife Dame Marion Sherle. This couple had 5 sons and 15 daughters! They are laid out in late Italian renaissance armour and clothes. The table chest tomb is adorned with the Coats of Arms of their parents and each others families. Sir Christopher was from a junior branch of the Barnewalls, the Turvey branch. The effigies date from 1589. The interesting thing is these where powerful Pale Lords, Catholic yet loyal to Crown. But the reformation was changing their way of life. The tombs lack religious symbols, Sir Christopher was Anglican but he did shelter St Campion. This ambivalence to the reformation was going to bring ruination on the Pale lords in 17th century. On the second floor of the five floor tower is an effigy of James de Bermingham (Mac Ferris) d 1637 from Lusk. The building contains information and other items of note. You can obtain key locally and bring small group inside. Also part of these buildings is a nine story ancient Round Tower, this building is attached to Medieval Tower this is dated to 9th century. It is amazing to think these gems are a mere 13 miles north of Dublin this is yet another medieval...
Read moreAlways wanted to have a look at this beautifully built 17th century building. I wasn't disappointed. The guide was sick so we had a stand in replacement, which to be fair, was fairly knowledgeable. Whilst you could tell speaking with tour groups was not his daily job, he did it fairly well and a swerved the questions posed. I went during Irelands heritage week so it was pretty easy to access. Of you have an opportunity to take a look, please do. It great to learn bout the local history, as it played an important role for the...
Read moreA beautiful location and a stunning church and tower, it looks more like a castle than a church when up close. There is good parking and the grounds are well kept and tidy. You can walk all the way around the tower and the cemetery has some interesting objects of interest too, a charming church and a very pleasant...
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