History

  Baldongan church is a National Monument near Skerries [1].
  A brief introduction to the history of Baldongan church is given by a panel at the entrance of the site, placed by Dúchas The Heritage Service. It is stated that the church was a parish church built in the 14th century or even earlier than that. It appears like a small castle due to the presence of the tower at its west end, added in the 15th century [2] to protect the priests who lived here. This feature was not uncommon for several fortified churches in the “Pale”, meaning the area around Dublin loyal to the English rulers in the late middle ages.
  Due to its appearance, Baldongan church is also referred to as Baldongan castle, although a separate castle was built nearby in the 13th century by Barnwall family (several sources claim that this fortress was actually first built by the Templar Knights [2, 3]), but nothing remains of it as it did not survive the Cromwellian invasion of Ireland. In more detail, a garrison of about 200 Irish anti-Parliamentarian Confederates held the castle until 1642, executed by the Cromwellian forces led by Colonel Trafford [3]. Only two priests were spared, but tortured and deported to France [3].
A nearby field is named “Nuns Stood”, perhaps where the nuns of Baldongan were stood watching the castle being destroyed [3].
  Only the church still survives in a ruined state, with its imposing 21m high bell tower [3], silently and solemnly surrounded by a graveyard.

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Tips

  A random trip to Skerries and a day with no rain, almost forced us to take a pit stop and admire this amazing scenery.
  Although not an actual castle, but more a fortified church, where the priests were residing for safety, the remainings of this impressive piece of history are not to be avoided. The surrounding landscape is breathtaking and it offers so much tranquility. Visitors should also take notice that the graveyard around the ruin is still in use.
  The site is located near a pretty busy road, with no available car park. However, there is space for a couple of cars right in front of the gate. You won't need to spend much time around the premises, so this should not have too much of an impact on the traffic, but please take extra care when stopping by.