Celtic Recipes

Lauriston Castle

Lauriston Castle

Lauriston Castle is a sixteenth century tower house with nineteenth century additions, overlooking the Firth of Forth in Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe, Dùn Èideann). The last owner of the castle, Mrs Reid, left the property to the Scottish Nation in 1926 with instructions that it be left as it was at the time of her death. The house and gardens are open to the public. It is located in Davidsons Mains at 2a Cramond Road South, Edinburgh, EH4. This is northwest of the City Centre overlooking the Forth.

Craiglockhart Castle

View of Edinburgh from Craiglockhart John Thomson (1778–1840) courtesy of Museums & Galleries Edinburgh – City of Edinburgh Council

Craiglockhart Castle is a ruined tower house located in the grounds of the Craiglockhart Campus of Napier University on Conlinton Road. It is in the Craiglockhart (Scottish Gaelic: Creag Longairt) district in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann, Alba). It is a square building and was originally four storeys high. Now only the first and part of the second storey remain, measuring approximately 28 feet by 24 feet with walls between 5 and 6 feet deep. The building is often described as a 15th century building, but others believe is dates to earlier. It is recorded that in 1505 the King granted Craiglockhart, the lands of the same with tower and fortalice to Thomas Kincaid. By the mid-15th century and throughout most of the 16th the Kincaid family owned Craiglockhart. They forfeited the land at the beginning of the 17th century and the estate passed to the Crown. The ruin is protected as a scheduled monument.

Craigmillar Castle

Craigmillar Castle 35

This is a well preserved fourteenth century castle with fifteenth and sixteenth century extensions. It has a fourteenth century tower house surrounded by a fifteenth century courtyard and defensive walls and gardens. Mary Queen of Scots stayed at the castle which is located about three miles southeast from Edinburgh City Centre in Craigmillar.

Edinburgh - Dùn Èideann

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) the capital city of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba). Human settlement in the Edinburgh area dates back at least to the Bronze Age. Edinburgh Castle is on top of Castle Rock and human habitation of the site of the extinct volcano goes back to the ninth century BC. The castle has been dated back to the twelfth century and continued to be a royal place of residence until 1603 and the union of the crowns. St Margaret's chapel is the oldest building in the castle and Edinburgh dating back to the twelfth century. Other buildings in the castle mostly date from the sixteenth century.

Ashtown Castle - Caisleán Bhaile an Ásaighis

Ashtown Castle (Irish: Caisleán Bhaile an Ásaighis) is a tower house and located in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland (Irish: Páirc an Fhionnuisce, Baile Átha Cliath, Éire). is thought to date from about the 1430's. It was discovered in the 1970's when the building enclosing it was being demolished. The tower is three stories high and constructed of limestone rubble masonry. It has a square turret on the south-east side and a gable and surmounted by a chimney at the east side. Around 1760 the castle was incorporated into a larger Georgian house known as Ashtown Lodge; subsequently demolished.

Áras an Uachtaráin

Áras an Uachtaráin (house of the president) is the official residence of the President of Ireland (Irish: Uachtarán na hÉireann). The history of the building is firmly linked to the Pheonix Park in Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath) in which it is located. Pheonix Park is actually a word with Gaelic origins and is an Anglicisation of fionn uisce which means "clear water". Nathaniel Clements MP became the Park Ranger for Phoenix Park and built the house that would later become Áras an Uachtaráin. It started out as a more modest building faced with brick. It underwent significant renovations in the 1840s, 1849, 1852, 1908, 1911. It has been the Official Residence of the President of Ireland since 1938.

Castleknock Castle - Caisleán Cnucha

Castleknock Castle (Irish: Caisleán Cnucha) is a ruined 12 century Norman castle. It located on the grounds of Castleknock College (Irish: Coláiste Caisleán Cnucha) which is in the suburb of Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland (Irish: Caisleán Cnucha,  Baile Átha Cliath, Éire). The remains of the original keep and part of the bailey wall can be seen. It is surrounded on the north and west by deep defensive ditches and earthen ramparts. The hill on which it is built has in Irish legend importance long before the building of the castle when it was known as Cnucha, possibly after the foster mother of Conn. In the mid nineteenth century workmen accidently uncovered an ancient tomb (Cromlech) when digging within the castle. The description of the Cromlech fits with the burial place of people of importance in Pagan times.

Howth Castle

 Howth Castle and estate is located just outside of the village of Howth, County Dublin Ireland (Irish: Binn Éadair, Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath, Éire). This is privately owned but is open by arrangement for guided tours on Sundays during June, July and August and on Saturdays in July. The origins of the castle date back to the twelfth century when the original wooden castle was built by Almeric from whom the present owners descend. A new castle, also of wood was built on the present site in the early thirteenth century and later rebuilt in stone. The earliest remaining parts of the present structure date back to the mid-fifteenth century.

Howth Portal Tomb - Aideen's Grave

Howth Portal Tomb is also known as Aideen's Grave. It is located in the wooded area behind the Deerpark Hotel in the grounds of Howth Castle. Howth Castle and estate is located just outside of the village of Howth, County Dublin Ireland (Irish: Binn Éadair, Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath, Éire). The dolmen has a very large capstone estimated at about 75 tons. Probably contributing to the collapse of the supporting stones. Monuments of this type are estimated to date to the Neolithic period which began in Ireland about 3000 BC. 

 

Malahide Castle - Caisleán Mhullach Íde

Malahide Castle (Irish: Caisleán Mhullach Íde) is located close to the village of Malahide (Irish: Mullach Íde) in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland (Irish: Fine Gall, Contae Bhaile Átha Cliath, Éire). Some of the remaining parts of the castle date back to the twelfth century. It is now managed by Fingal Council after the last remaining member of the Talbot family sold the estate to the Irish State. The Talbot family had owned the house since 1185, with the exception of the years 1649 to 1660. At that time Oliver Cromwell had granted the property to someone else after the Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland. After the Cromwell's welcome death, the property was restored to the Talbots. Cromwell remains a hated figure in Ireland for atrocities undertaken during the Conquest.

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