Stamps And Letters: 2009 Castles of Northern Ireland #2

2009 Castles of Northern Ireland #2

Dungiven Castle

Dungiven Castle is situated in 22 acres of parkland in the small town of Dungiven in County Londonderry overlooking the Sperrin Mountains. It was the ancestral home of the O'Cahan clan who ruled between the 12th and 17th century and they built the castle in the days of James I. It has now been transformed into a luxurious hotel.

Killyleagh Castle

Killyleagh Castle can be found in the village of Killyleagh, County Down and is believed to be the oldest inhabited castle in the country. It is in the style of a Loire Valley chateau and was designed by architect Sir Charles Lanyon. In the early 19th century after his return from exile in America Archibald Hamilton Rowan lived there. Gawn Rowan Hamilton and his young family currently live there and it has been the Hamilton family home since the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th century. It came under attack by the Irish Republican Army during the troubles of the 1920s. It now hosts occasional concerts and the gate lodges contain self-catering holdiday accommodation.

Narrow Water Castle

Narrow Water Castle is a tower house near Warrenpoint located on the County Down bank of the Clanrye River. It was given to the State in 1956 and is one of the finest 16th century buildings in Ireland. A castle has been on this site since 1212 and was originally built by Hugh de Lacy to prevent attacks on Newry via the river. The original was destroyed in the 1641 Rebellion. The present Narrow Water Castle built for military purposes during the 1560s is typical of the tower houses erected in Ireland from the 14th to the 17th century. On 27th August 1979 18 British Army sodiers were killed by a Provisional IRA ambush at Narrow Water Castle. Nowadays cruise boats sail past the castle regularly throughout the summer.

Killymoon Castle

Killymoon Castle is situated about one mile south east of Cookstown, County Tyrone on the north bank of the Ballinderry River. The original castle was built by James Stewart whose ancestors had come over from Scotland during the plantation to settle in Cookstown. Unfortunately the original castle was burnt down in 1801. The following year Colonel William Stewart rebuilt the castle and employed architect John Nash to design it. The second Killymoon Castle is a two storey structure with the entrance on the east front. The Killymoon estate remained the property of the Stewart family for six generations until the family fell on hard times during the years of the Great Famine. Colonel Williams's great-grandson Henry T. Clements sold it in 1852 for nearly £100,000. The Cooper family bought the castle in 1857 and then a Colonel Bolton bought it in 1865. Mervyn Stuart Thomas Moutray became the owner ten years later and remained so until 1916 when in 1922 John Coulter bought the castle and grounds for £100 and it remains the Coulter family home.

Gosford Castle

Gosford Castle is in Gosford, County Armagh close to the border with County Down. It was commissioned by Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford and construction began in 1819 with Thomas Hopper as its chief architect. The Ministry of Agriculture bought the estate in 1958, establishing Gosford Forest Park and in January 2006 the largest Grade A listed building in Northern Ireland was bought by a development company. The 4th Earl of Gosford was forced to sell the contents of the castle in 1921. During the Second World War it was commandeered and used as a prisoner-of-war camp. The Gosfords sold the estate after the war and it was eventually purchased by the Forestry Commission. A large Irish Scout Jamboree took place in the park of the castle back in 1989.

2009 Castles of Northern Ireland #1