Smarmore Castle is an Irish Medieval castle located south of

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued develo ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

History

Smarmore Castle was first officially mentioned in 1320 as the seat of the Taaffe family. The Taaffe family, originating from Pembrokeshire, Wales, lived in Smarmore Castle up to the 1980s. While the tower house was built in around 1320, other buildings of the castles have been established in 1730 to 1750. After the Taaffe family sold the castle it was converted into a guest house. In 2015,

Castle Craig Castle Craig, located on East Peak in the Hanging Hills, is constructed of trap rock and is in height and has a base in circumference. A metal interior stairway is used to ascend the observation deck on top. It stands above sea level and pro ...

, a British Addiction Treatment Center, acquired Smarmore Castle. The Smarmore Castle Private Clinic, a drug and alcohol treatment centre, opened in 2016.

Origin of Name

The name Smarmore is seen to have its origin in an Irish language legend known as

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "the Irish ''Iliad''", although like most other earl ...

(The Cattle Raid of Cooley).

References

{{coord, 53.81437905, -6.56561111, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title 1320 establishments in Ireland 14th-century fortifications Places in Táin Bó Cúailnge Castles in County Louth