Rathfarnham Castle

Rathfarnham Castle

Rathfarnham Castle was designed by James Stewart and William Chambers and it is believed that the castle was built in 1582 for Archbishop Loftus. The entrace to Rathfarnham Castle was from the village until 1979 when the county council built the bypass.

One of the most interesting features of Rathfarnham are its secret tunnels. One lead from the castle to an exit at the present Castle Golf Club. Another led from the castle to the Protestant church in the village, this tunnel was only discovered in 1987. Both have been closed off.

castle Throughout the centuries the castle has passed through many families but most importantly, the Loftus family. The first owner, Archbishop Loftus left the castle to his son, Dudley, and then it passed to Dudley's son, Adam in 1616. It was during Adam's ownership that the castle came under siege during the 1641 rebellion. Adam opposed the treaty of cessation in order the stop the fighting, as a result he was imprisioned in Dublin Castle.

The British Civil War began in 1642 and Parlimentary troops were stationed at the castle. It has also been reported that Cromwell held council there before going to Wexford and Drougheda to kill the natives.

After the British Civil War, the Loftus family retained ownership of the castle. In 1659, Dr. Dudley Loftus, great grandson of Archbishop Lofus, took over the castle. During his lifetime, Dudley held the posts of Commissioner of Revenue, Judge Admirality, Master in Chancery, M.P for Kildare and Wicklow and M.P for Bannow and Fethard. His body is enterred at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The castle was passed down the centuries to the descendants of Dr. Dudley Loftus until it came into the hands of Philip Wharton. The young man spent his inheritance recklessly and in 1724, the castle was sold to William Connolly. Connolly was a famous politician and an excellent speaker in the House of Commons. Connolly is the one who was responsible for the building of the Hell Fire Club.

Rathfarnham Castle remained in the hands of the Connolly family until 1742 where it was then sold to Bishop Hoadley. It stayed in his family until 1763 where the Lofus family regained ownership. The Loftus family constructed another entrance for the castle in the form of a Roman Triumphal mark. From Dodder Park Road, one can still view the arch, an image of it can be seen below to the right. castel gate

In 1812, the Loftus family left the castle for the last time and they moved to Loftus Hall, Wexford. The castle then went through many families such as the Ropers (1812-1852) and the Blackburn family (1852-1912). When the property developers Bailey & Gibson aquired the castle in 1912, they used large tracts of land for construction and they also built a golf course.

In 1913, the Jesuits bought the castle and the remaining land. The Jesuits were well educated and one of them, Father O'Leary S.J constructed a seismograph. This machine could detect earth tremors and earthquakes from anywhere in the world and for a time, Rathfarnham Castle became a source of earthquake information for the national media.

The castle was sold to Delaware Properties in 1985 and it was believed that the castle was facing demolition. After immense public pressure to save the building, the state purchased it in 1987. At the moment, the castle is going through extensive refurbishment but it is stil open to the public during the summer months.

One of the most chilling stories about Rathfarnham Castle is that of a skeleton found in one of the hollow walls on the middle floor in 1880. It is ascertained that she was there for over 130 years. It is believed that she was locked into a secret compartment in one of the rooms during a ball. Two suitors were arguing over her love and they decided to sort out their differences by a dual. The successor would then rescue the fair maiden from the wall. But as it happened, both died - one from drowning and the other from his wounds. The whole affair was conducted in secret so the beautiful maiden was left there entombed in the wall, where she died.