Yet another stronghold built by the De Bermingham’s can be found in the area of Kinnefad or in Gaelic as Ceann – Átha Fada which translates to ‘head of the ford’. There were many De Bermingham castles and a couple of churches or monasteries to be found in the Kildare-Offaly area as well as in Galway and Dublin. There are a number of castles and a monastery still in existence in the Kildare and Offaly area, some of which I have posted previously. Carbury Castle and Teampall Do-Ath , Grange Castle, Mac Feorais Castle and Carrick Church are in County Kildare, while Blundell Castle, Kinnefad Castle, and Monasterois Monastery are in County Offaly.
In Galway there is Athenry Castle and Monastery, Dunmore Castle and Bermingham House which was the seat of the last Baron of Athenry and Earl of Louth, Thomas Bermingham until his death in 1799. Finally in Meath I recently discovered the Priory of De Laude Dei which although not built be the De Birmingham’s it did come under their control along with 5000 acres of land, after Henry VIII’s suppression of Abbeys in 1538AD.
Kinnefad Castle can be found standing on the banks of the River Boyne, just outside Edenderry on the Offaly-Kildare border. The Castle is believed to date back to the 14th century and like many others it has sadly become a crumbling ruin. It is a typical example of a square tower house which unlike it neighbour at Carbury, was built for strength not comfort. It measures approx 12 X 15 meters. Although the entire east wall is missing, the remaining three external walls are in considerably good condition. On approach you will notice a council sign warning of falling debris, so caution is advised.
There is a grand view of the internal remains of the castle, with signs of what was once a stone spiral staircase in the south-east corner and a very sturdy looking vaulted ceiling, which is probably the only reason that the rest of the Castle is still standing. I also noticed a corridor running along the southern wall and if I had been feeling a bit more adventurous, I might have attempted to make the climb to explore further. In hindsight though, im glad I didn’t as I would hate to be responsible for any further erosion or damage to the structure. This corridor also contains a garderobe.
There are also a few narrow windows to be found with its walls. This castle was definitely built for defensive purposes with local stories of the castle being the site of many a fierce battle. The east wall which contained the main entrance is said to have collapsed in 1916AD. An agent of a Lord Downshire was said to have come into possession of some interesting artefacts which were dug up at Kinnefad. These included a number of sword blades and spear heads which have since been donated to the University at Cambridge. There is really little else of interest on this castle to be found unfortunately. But nevertheless it is still well worthy of a visit if you are in the area.
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I think you need to change the name of your blog. Think Ed Mooney “Castle Explorer” would be better.
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Lol, Cmon now its been a while since I had a good castle up here, 🙂
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Is I ndiaidh a chéile a thógtar iad .. 🙂 Beautiful pictures, as usual. I must get to some of these places …
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An-mhaith, ba chóir duit iarracht a fheiceáil ar roinnt de na láithreáin sin mar go bhfuil siad go leor néal a chur ar. 🙂
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Love B&W, but the atmosphere on a number of these is really awesome.
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Thank you so much, I am really glad that you enjoyed them, 🙂
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Ah, the proverbial lonely keep. Truly an iconic photo series. Looks like these belong in another travel book. 🙂 I like your use of vignetting in many of your exterior shots.
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Thanks R.C. I love finding old ruins as you can see, but I must admit that a castle is my favorite find. They just have that little something special. I think the addition of a vignette to these mono shots adds to the effect. I first used it on a group of re-inactment shots that I wanted to give an aged effect, so a quick sepia conversion and a little noise with the vignette really turned them around. You can see them here if your interested 🙂 It was also my first solo run with Photoshop!
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thanks for the visit. nice photos you have here.
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Thank You 🙂
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Wonderful photos! I am amazed that this structure is still standing – it looks ready for collapse in some of these images! A fantastic old place. Is there no effort being made to shore up any of the unstable walls?
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thanks Jo, glad you liked them, The Castle currently stands on Council land. So there is no sign of any preservation efforts in the future.All they did was put up a warning sign so they can deny any liability if someone gets hurt. To be honest Im shocked that they haven’t tried to knock it and put a shopping center or road there 😦
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I love the fact that this ruin is still that – a ruin, and is allowed its graceful and hard won return to the Earth. Too many of these beautiful old buildings are gussied up, roped off, and given an ignominious end as a tourist attraction as opposed to being left to be just what they are: an integral part of the landscape. Beautiful photos. The black and white truly does the subject justice… and of course your keen eye for composition. Thanks.
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Thanks for you kind words Martin. I would have to agree, I just hate it when such places are tarted up for the tourist trade and end up loosing their character. Although it is the same tourist trade which tends to save such places in the end, so sometimes its a matter of getting into bed with the devil so to speak to achieve the required result. 🙂
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Absolutely gorgeous shots! As I’m from New Zealand, finding old (really old) buildings dotted about the landscape is just magical to me. I haven’t blogged about it (probably should) but we went to the most fabulous little castle called Nunney Castle that was literally in people’s back yard in a village in Somerset. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/nunney-castle/
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Hi Eleanor, I would most definitely blog about it 🙂 It looks stunning and i am sure there are a few interesting tales to tell from its history. Send us a link if you do deside to post it, I would love to see it 🙂
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Glorious, glorious. Especially that photo of the wall that has no logical reason for still standing. It looks like a medieval Dr. Seuss sketch.
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Thank you, 🙂
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One of my fave works of yours so far 🙂
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Many thanks, so glad that you liked them, 🙂
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