Carey’s Castle, also known as Glenabbey House, is an absolutely charming and picturesque 18th century structure situated in a glen beside the Glenary River in a scenic woodlands near Clonmel. The area was once owned by Cistercian Monks but after the Suppression of the Monasteries the land was granted to an Edward Gough. By the 19th century a local family of schoolmasters from Clonmel built the beautiful structure we see today. It appears the schoolmasters were hoping to educate as well as create something enchanting as they integrated several different types of structure into the castle such as a round tower, a Norman Hall and both Romanesque and Gothic arches. It appears the Careys only occupied the castle until the early 1840s when they emigrated to Australia, the castle and lands came into they possession of Colonel Nuttall Greene who promptly became bankrupt around the time of the Great Famine and his property was sold off in the Encumbered Estates Court.

The structures at Carey’s castle are quite confusing and part of me does wonder if some of it was occupied but other parts were built as ruins or follys at the time, an example of this would be the small church like building to the left of the main castle. From the outside there is an impression given of three bricked up Gothic windows however if one looks at the other side of this wall it appears there never was an opening for these windows. Other anomalies such as the lack of fireplaces in the south block also lead me to this question. Whatever the case may be I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to this striking little castle nestled as it is so beautifully in the woods.

GPS: 52.32121, -7.7183