A very dark dreary day marked my visit to this interesting 16th century fortified house. The narrow road that runs alongside the gate to the castle was a medieval highway. There is no record of who built the castle but it is believed by some that the name probably derives from ‘Pooka’ (a shape-shifting sometimes benevolent sometimes evil or mischievous Irish spirit). Interesting spot to visit, with only one set of stairs still in action to get to the first floor. Seems like at some stage there was a large courtyard outside of the walls of the house based upon the huge amount of stones that surround the base of the castle. Apparently James II stayed in the castle while retreating from the Battle of The Boyne in 1690. Of all the ruins I have visited I think this is the closest I have ever come to seriously injuring myself, it was a wet day and at one point my feet slipped and I fell backwards, my head missing the sharpest rock in the building by about about an inch and a half before I crashed backwards onto the ground, maybe the links to a ‘Pooka’ have more weight than I previously had thought!
GPS: 53.23091, -6.15483
Great photos, this place looks very atmospheric.
Thanks a million. It definitely has a eerie and dark vibe about the place.
One side of my family called Jackson I believe did own the land around the castle which included the castle also I remember stories of the seige of the castle which took place during the troubles with the black and tans how true this is I have no idea.
Interesting Bryan, I must look into that next week when I’m in the national archives next week, have access to the newspaper archive there.