Dungarvan is a small town situated on Dungarvan Harbour about 26 km from Waterford. It is located at one end of the “Greenway” a walking and biking trail between Dungarvan and Waterford. It’s a very popular attraction.
We stayed at a resort hotel within walking distance to town. Good location as it had nice grounds and a pub and restaurant on site.
Our first stop was Dungarvan Castle right on the harbor. The oldest part of the castle is composed of a polygonal shell keep with an enclosing curtain wall, a corner tower and a gate tower. It dates to the 12th Century. The castle also has an 18th century military barracks. Dungarvan Castle is only open from May to September but is on the Heritage Pass complete with tour. The tour was very interesting.
I loved the huge castle gate with it’s wrought iron hinges and studded door. Medieval owners didn’t make it easy to get inside the castle.
This is one of the best depictions of a “Murder Hole” that we saw. They would dump boiling water from the top onto the soldiers below.
The soldiers would be caught between the entrance and the gate unable to proceed into the castle. They would be captive targets for the castle inhabitants.
Note the gorgeous stone work and arches. They built these castles to last.
This is a really good example of castles built in Ireland around the time of King John of England. He actually made a trip or two to Ireland. Castles built during his reign are dotted all over Ireland.