Charleville Forest Castle
Encyclopedia
Charleville Forest Castle is a Gothic-style castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
located in Co. Offaly, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, bordering the town of Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
, near the Shannon River
Shannon River
Shannon River may refer to:*River Shannon, Ireland*Shannon River, Minnesota*Shannon River , A river in Western Australia....
. It is considered one of the finest of its type in the country.
Location
The castle is situated in Ireland's most ancient primordial oak woods, once the haunting grounds of Ireland's druids.History
In the 6th century it was part of the ancient monastic site of Lynally, which itself was in the ancient DurrowDurrow
Durrow is a small rural village in County Offaly, Ireland. Durrow is located on the N52 off the N6 road between Kilbeggan and Tullamore .Famous for being the Ancestral home of the Champion ploughman Luke Bracken. and Dean McDermott, Offaly Bord na Scol runner up,...
monastic settlement.
Later, in the early days of Ireland's colonization, when the city of Dublin felt threatened by the wild tribes of the West, these lands became the focal point for the first Stuart, and later more violent Elizabethan, plantations.
By the mid-fifteen hundreds, the lands that were originally ruled by the O'Moore clan were securely "planted". From this point on a dynasty was established which endured into the late nineteenth century.
Charleville Castle grew from paper doodles in early 1798 to grandiose plans by the end of that very eventful year in Ireland. It was built by Charles William Bury, Earl of Charleville
Earl of Charleville
Earl of Charleville was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. The first creation came in 1758 when Charles Moore, 2nd Baron Moore, was made Earl of Charleville, in the King's County...
. It was designed by Francis Johnston
Francis Johnston (architect)
See Francis Johnson for English architect of similar name.Francis Johnston was an Irish architect, best known for building the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, Dublin.-Life:...
, who also designed the GPO
General Post Office (Dublin)
The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
in Dublin, one of the leading architects of the day.
It owes its "Tin Soldier Fortress" look to the celebration of victory over the third French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
revolutionary expedition to Ireland - the first decisive victory by Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
over the revolutionary republican movement, which was sweeping across the monarchies and their colonies at that time. It took fourteen years to complete this gothic dream, a monument not only to a now forgotten power, but also to the people who made it possible, the Irish craftsmen and impoverished people.
The castle had to be temporarily closed at times, due to the castle owners living beyond their means. However, each subsequent re-opening was usually marked by a suitably flamboyant gesture, which included engaging the talents of William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, who designed the ceiling within the dining room. Additionally, Charleville is said to have helped start a craze of building castles within Ireland.
The castle played host to Lord Byron, who held many parties here. In fact, whenever he visited Ireland he always went to the castle. This was due to the castle owner's eccentricity.
The castle remained uninhabited from 1912, during the difficult years of the independence war and the long years of economic severity which followed. By 1968 the roof had been removed. It had become a part of "Vanishing Ireland" until finally work on its restoration was commenced by Michael McMullen in 1971 and later by Constance Heavey Seaquist and Bonnie Vance. A Charitable Trust has been formed to help with the restoration.
It is said to be haunted by a girl who got lost and went up the tallest tower.She then went sliding down but fell off and broke her neck. A photographer went up the tower but only his camera was ever found.
Present day
Currently, the Charleville Castle Heritage Trust is managed by Dudley Stewart. The day-to-day running is handled by volunteers, who come from countries including FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States of America and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, as well as other parts of Ireland to help out at the castle. The castle itself is reputed to be haunted, with it appearing on Living TV's Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
and Fox's Scariest Places On Earth
Scariest Places On Earth
Scariest Places on Earth is an American paranormal documentary reality television series that originally aired from October 23, 2000 to October 29, 2006. The program was produced by Triage Entertainment for the Fox Family Channel, which is now ABC Family and owns the rights to the show...
. It has also been visited by numerous paranormal investigators and psychics. Guests of the castle have reported strange goings on at the castle as well. The castle has been photographed by Sir Simon Marsden
Simon Marsden
Sir Simon Neville Llewelyn Marsden, 4th Baronet is an English photographer and author. He is known best for his uncommon black-and-white photographs of allegedly haunted houses and places throughout Europe...
and appeared within his collections.
The castle has been host to multiple events, including "fright nights", an auction and a play by the English Chamber Theatre called Dearest Nancy, Darling Evelyn. More recently, it has played host to the Mór Festival, and its successor, Castlepalooza
Castlepalooza
Castle Palooza is an annual Irish independent music festival, held at Charleville Castle in Tullamore, County Offaly over the August Bank Holiday weekend.The festival is one of the "Little Two" music festivals in Ireland, the other being Indiependence which is usually...
.
The castle has also been investigated by many paranormal investigation groups from around the world, though it seems that only within the past 2–3 years that it has been investigated by Irish paranormal groups.
It was on ABC Family's Scariest Places On Earth
Scariest Places On Earth
Scariest Places on Earth is an American paranormal documentary reality television series that originally aired from October 23, 2000 to October 29, 2006. The program was produced by Triage Entertainment for the Fox Family Channel, which is now ABC Family and owns the rights to the show...
. It also appeared on Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International is a spin-off series of Ghost Hunters that airs on Syfy. The series premiered on January 9, 2008...
. It was also used as a filming location for Becoming Jane
Becoming Jane
Becoming Jane is a 2007 historical film directed by Julian Jarrold. It is inspired by the early life of author Jane Austen , and her posited relationship with Thomas Langlois Lefroy . Also appearing are Julie Walters, James Cromwell and Maggie Smith...
(2007) and Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey (2007 TV drama)
Northanger Abbey, an adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel of the same name, premiered on 25 March, 2007 on the United Kingdom channel ITV at 9pm, as part of their Jane Austen Season. The drama ran for 120 minutes in the UK, and 93 minutes without interruption in the United States...
(2007).