History

  Located not far from Hacketstown, Clonmore castle was probably built towards the end of the 12th century, perhaps by Hugh DeLacey, and it was expanded in 1332 by Anthony DeLucy [1, 2]. Till then, there is no record about the castle and hence it is not possible to exactly state who was responsible for its construction and when that happened [3].
  Due to its position between the area controlled by the Normans and that controlled by the Irish, the castles changed hands several times as reported in [4].
  In the 15th century Clonmore was granted to the Earl of Ormonde [5]. The castle underwent several remarkable attacks over time, marking its history: in 1516 by the Earl of Kildare, in 1598 by the Earl of Ormond who reconquered it, and in 1650 it was also attacked by Cromwell’s army led by Colonel Hewson, who reduced the castle to the ruins that we can admire today [1, 2, 6].
  The courtyard has a square layout with about 170 feet (50 meters) per side, with towers at each angle [1, 6]. A rectangular four storey tower on the southeast corner, in an advanced state of disrepair, shows a clover-shaped window which is probably a sign that this part of the castle was built at the end of the 13th century [1, 5]. Above the window, there is a small carving, representing a Púca, one of the Irish trickiest goblin [2]. The rest of the buildings are two storeys high [2]. Originally, the castle was also surrounded by a moat [2].

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  Of all the castles that we so far visited in County Carlow, Clonmore is second to none, given its impressive appearance and long history dating back to the 13th century. It was though disturbing to see the fissures in the walls, but despite its vulnerable figure, the remains of the main interior buildings still stand and create majestic surroundings along with the courtyard.
  It happened by pure chance that we came across this castle. We were returning from a trip to Wicklow, internet connection was weak, Google Maps was not loading, so we couldn't believe when we found ourselves in front of this beauty. As if this wasn't already impressive enough, the piercing eyes of "the Púca" cought us by surprise. The gargoyle can still be seen above the trefoil window of the tower. This shapeshifter creature of Celtic folklore, symbolises good and bad, and sometimes may also take a human form. It is said that it often enjoys confusing and terrifying humans, but most times is benevolent. Or at least this was our case: we didn't get confused and we easily found our way home, despite the low internet signal 😅