Ardgillan2013e
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ardgillan Castle is a country house near
Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , ) is a suburban coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland. It is approximately 34 km north of the city of Dublin, for which it is a commuter town. The 2022 census population was 24,322 for Bal ...
,
County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. It is set in the Ardgillan Demesne ( Irish: ), a public park in the jurisdiction of
Fingal County Council Fingal County Council () is the local authority of the county of Fingal, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on abolition on 1 January 1994 and is one of four local authorities in County ...
.


Features

Featuring castellated embellishments, the building overlooks Barnageera Beach, the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
and
Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , ) is a suburban coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland. It is approximately 34 km north of the city of Dublin, for which it is a commuter town. The 2022 census population was 24,322 for Bal ...
. The castle consists of two storeys over a basement, which extends under the south lawns. When occupied, the ground and first floors were the living accommodation while the west and east wings were servants quarters and estate offices. The basement was the service floor, the kitchen and stores. The castle has now been restored and is open to visitors. Ardgillan Demesne is open to visitors, with a mix of woodlands and large grass open spaces. The park contains a walled herb garden, rose garden, Victorian conservatory or glasshouse, tea rooms and an ice house. A children's playground was built in 2006.


Facilities and activities for visitors

The ground floor rooms and kitchens of the Castle are open to visitors for guided tours. Tea rooms are located off the main reception area and are open during the Castle opening times. Upstairs, the former bedrooms are used for classes and exhibitions, including a permanent exhibition of the "
Down Survey The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland, carried out by English scientist William Petty in 1655 and 1656. It was created to provide for precise re-allocation of land confiscated from the Irish. The survey was apparently called the "Do ...
" colour maps and text. Rooms are also available for small group meetings and workshops. In 2005 the estate was host to a number of open-air concerts in the summer time. Pop artists who have played here include
Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...
,
REM Rem or REM may refer to: Music * R.E.M., an American rock band * ''R.E.M.'' (EP), by the band Green * "R.E.M." (song), by Ariana Grande Science and technology * Rapid eye movement sleep, a phase of sleep * Roentgen equivalent man (rem), a unit ...
,
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...
and
Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...
. No more concerts have been held at the venue since and it still remains to be seen if
Fingal County Council Fingal County Council () is the local authority of the county of Fingal, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on abolition on 1 January 1994 and is one of four local authorities in County ...
plans to host any in the future.


Dog-friendly café

From 2016 to 2019, ''Paws at Ardgillan'' operated within the castle's gardens. Housed in the former gardener's cottage, it was'' "a new café that gives dog walkers the opportunity to dine with their dogs"''. The dog-friendly facility was one of the first in Ireland and was the first feature of its kind in a municipal park in the country. This initiative meant that dog walkers could sit with their dogs at a café table while dining. The café was not profitable and closed in 2019.


History

The previous owner of the land was Robert Usher, a wine merchant from
Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...
. When Reverend Robert Taylor bought the land it was quite a wooded area so he employed some former soldiers from Bangor, County Down and paid them 1d and a meal per day as well as bed every night: they also received a tot of Irish whiskey from
Bushmills Bushmills may refer to: * Bushmills, County Antrim Bushmills (From Irish language, Irish ''Muileann na Buaise'') is a village on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills had a population of 1,247 in the United Kingdom Censu ...
which was brought in for 2 shilling 2 pence a gallon. The house was built by the Reverend Robert Taylor in 1738. The house remained in the Taylor family until 1962 when the estate was sold to Heir Henrich Potts of Westphalia. In 1982 the estate was sold to
Fingal County Council Fingal County Council () is the local authority of the county of Fingal, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that succeeded the former Dublin County Council on abolition on 1 January 1994 and is one of four local authorities in County ...
, which, with the help of Fás, renovated the house. It was officially opened to the public in 1992 by then president
Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senato ...
.


Dublin to Belfast railway line

The Dublin to Belfast railway line passes the demesne, and the trains passing include the Enterprise, Dublin Commuter, Freight, and some out-of-service intercity trains. The "Lady's Stairs" bridge links Ardgillan Demense with the coast over the R127 (Skerries to Balbriggan) road. The bridge can be entered by concrete stairs, a short walk from the estate's car park number one and a long walk from car park number two. The bridge has high metal fencing with small holes. The railway line can also be seen from the top of the hill near the playground. The bridge was damaged by a truck strike in 2005 and was eventually renovated and reopened in 2007.


Ghost of "The Lady's Stairs"

According to local folklore, the ghost of a woman was believed to haunt the bridge (known locally as "The Lady's Stairs") that exists over the Dublin to Belfast railway line at the end of the property near the Irish sea. It is said that the lady's husband was a frequent swimmer, and when he did not return one night, the lady went to the bridge to await his return. However, her husband had died while swimming, and she stayed at the bridge hopelessly awaiting his return until she herself died. An additional local story claims that if a person were to go to the end of the bridge at midnight on
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
, the lady's ghost would appear and throw them to their death in the ocean. The more accepted version of the story is that Lord Langford of Summerhill House in Co Meath brought his recently wed wife to Ardgillan Castle while he went hunting in Scotland. Against the advice of the household, she went swimming (in November) and was drowned. Lord Langford himself died a short while later. The ghost reportedly seen on the bridge is that of Lady Langford in her wedding dress, coming up to search for her husband in the Castle.


References


External links

* {{Authority control Castles in Fingal Museums in Fingal Historic house museums in the Republic of Ireland Parks in Fingal Buildings listed on the Fingal Record of Protected Structures