Dundanion Castle
Tudor tower house on private grounds near Cork.
Dundanion Castle is a Tudor tower house situated in the Blackrock area of Cork. Also known as Galwey's Castle, the ruin stands on the grounds of the later Dundanion House.
Quick Facts
- Area
- Blackrock, Cork, Ireland
- Architecture
- Fortified limestone tower house
- Built for
- Galwey family
- Built
- c. 1564
Facts from the source article.
History
The existing limestone ruin dates to around 1564, though it may occupy the site of an earlier structure. Built by the Galwey family, it appears as 'Galwaies castle' on the late 16th-century Pacata Hibernia map of Cork. Land reclamation has since placed the castle some distance from the River Lee, but an adjoining slipway hints at its former waterfront access. Some accounts link the castle to William Penn's departure for the Americas before the founding of Pennsylvania in the 1680s. After changing hands several times, the castle fell into ruin. During the 1830s, architect Sir Thomas Deane built Dundanion House on the demesne, and contemporary Deane family diaries record stonemasons creating a 'picturesque ruin' of the castle. The ruin is partly visible from the old Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway walkway and from Holland Park, but lies on private property and is not publicly accessible. It is listed as a protected structure by Cork City Council and on the Irish national Record of Monuments and Places.
More in Ruined Castles in the Republic of Ireland
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