Leighlinbridge Castle, also called Black Castle, is situated in the village of Leighlinbridge

Leighlinbridge

Leighlinbridge is a village on the River Barrow in County Carlow, Ireland. The N9 National primary route once passed through the village, which was by-passed in the 1980s. It now lies on the R705 regional road....

, County Carlow

County Carlow

County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, on the River Barrow

River Barrow

The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...

, and was one of Ireland’s earliest Norman

Norman architecture

About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

 castles. A 50 feet (15.2 m) broken castle tower and bawn wall are all that can be seen today.

History

One source says that in 1180 Hugh de Lacy

Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster

125px|right|thumb|[[coat of arms|Arms]] of Hugh de LacyHugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster was the younger son of Hugh de Lacy, and founded the Earldom of Ulster....

 built the first castle here to defend the river crossing, while another states that in 1181, John de Clahull built one of the earliest strongholds of The Pale

The Pale

The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...

 here. The present building is, however, a 14th-century Tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

. Beside the castle was a Carmelite

Carmelites

The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...

 priory, founded in 1270. During the 14th century, the Kavanaghs reclaimed most of their land in the area, including the castle. The castle was rebuilt in 1547 by Edward Bellingham

Edward Bellingham

Sir Edward Bellingham , lord deputy of Ireland, was a son of Edward Bellingham of Erringham, Sussex, his mother being Jane Shelley of the Shelley family....

 as Black Castle, and a band of horse was kept there, under whose protection the county slowly settled. The castle was situated in the Barony of Idrone owned by the Carews. The castle was sacked by Cromwellian forces in 1650 during the Irish Confederate Wars

Irish Confederate Wars

This article is concerned with the military history of Ireland from 1641-53. For the political context of this conflict, see Confederate Ireland....

.

Features

A broken castle tower, 50 feet tall, and the bawn wall compose the ruins seen today. All that remains is the left half of the 14th-century tower and part of the bawn.