Maynooth Castle

History

In 1176, Strongbow granted the area of modern Kildare to Maurice Fitzgerald, Lord of Llanstephan. Around 1203, the original keep was built. Gerald Fitzmaurice, Maurice’s second eldest son, constructed the castle where two streams met, and it became the home of the Fitzmaurice and Fitzgerald families. Sir John Fitzgerald added to it in the 1400s. Gerald’s descendants rose to become the Earls of Kildare and Leinster, and served as Lords Deputy of Ireland. The Fitzgerald era at the castle ended with the 1534 rebellion of Silken Thomas, son of the ninth Earl. In March 1535, English forces under William Skeffington used heavy siege guns to bombard the castle, wrecking much of its medieval structure. After a ten-day siege, the castle fell, and the garrison was executed in front of the gate. Silken Thomas was soon captured and sent to the Tower of London with his five uncles; all were executed for treason at Tyburn on 3 February 1537. Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, restored the castle between 1630 and 1635 after his daughter married George FitzGerald, 16th Earl of Kildare. However, much of that work was destroyed in the 1640s during the Eleven Years’ War. Only the gatehouse, which still displays the combined arms of the Boyles and FitzGeralds, and the Solar Tower remain. The Fitzgeralds then left Maynooth Castle for good, moving first to Kilkea Castle and later to Carton House. In February 2000, the Office of Public Works began restoration to turn the site into a heritage attraction. Today, the partly ruined castle is open to the public from May to September, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and serves as a tourist attraction with limited access.