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Knock Abbey
Castle and Gardens |
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Knock Abbey Castle
was first built in 1399, it was called
Thomastown Castle and consisted only of
a simple square building; the tower
house where the interpretative centre is
now housed. This structure offered its
owners, the Bellews, comfort and
security at a time when skirmishes
between the native Irish and the New
English and Norman settlers were quite
common. Reflecting their prestige and
position, the Bellews extended the tower
house to the west around 1650. That
extension with its original stairwell
and its elegant six-bayed facade still
exists today. |
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Monasterboice
Monastery and High Crosses - Co Louth |
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The Monasterboice
Monastery which was founded by
Saint Buite, who died in 521 AD,
contains two of the finest High Crosses
in Ireland, both of these Crosses are
made of sandstone and date to around the
9th century. The site also has a round
tower, which is in excellent condition. |
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Old Mellifont Abbey
, Tullyallen, Drogheda,
Co Louth |
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Founded in 1142 on the orders of
Saint Malachy,
Archbishop of Armagh.
Mellifont Abbey sits on the
banks of the River
Mattock 10 ten km (6 miles)
north-west of
Drogheda. By 1170, Mellifont had
one hundred monks and three hundred lay
brothers. The Abbey became the model for
other Cistercian abbeys built in
Ireland, with its formal style of
architecture imported from the abbeys of
the same order in France; it was the
main abbey in Ireland until it was
closed in 1539, when it became a
fortified house. |
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Smarmore Castle,
Ardee, Co Louth |
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Smarmore Castle combines the charm of
one of Ireland's oldest castles with the
facilities and service of the most
modern accommodation. We offer Five
luxurious bedrooms (so you wont feel
overcrowded). Four poster bed available.
Free use of our leisure club. Tasty
Italian cuisine. Golf and other
activities nearby. Ideal location for
visiting Newgrange, the Boyne Valley &
Cooley Peninsula. 60 minutes from
Dublin, 90 minutes from Belfast. |
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More Castles and Forts
in County Louth:
Castle
Roche
Castletown Motte
Carlingford or King
John's Castle
Drogheda Walls
Mellifont Abbey
Proleek
Portal Tomb
Taaffe Castle,
Carlingford, Co Louth
Termonfeckin Castle
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