Huntington Castle, Defensive plantation castle in Clonegal, Ireland
Huntington Castle is a stone castle in Clonegal, County Carlow, built around a central tower house and surrounded by grounds that feature French lime trees and decorative fish ponds. The building mixes defensive and residential features, showing how the structure changed over several centuries.
The castle was built in 1625 on the site of an earlier 15th-century stronghold and was taken during Oliver Cromwell's campaign in Ireland in 1650. After that, the building was gradually adapted into a country house over the following centuries.
The basement of Huntington Castle houses the world headquarters of the Fellowship of Isis, a spiritual organization founded here in 1976. Visitors can see the dedicated shrine room, which remains in active use today.
The castle opens for guided group tours during the summer months, covering both the interior rooms and the outdoor grounds. The site has uneven floors and stairs, so sturdy footwear is a good idea.
One of Ireland's first water-powered electricity generators was installed here in 1888, fed by the nearby River Derry. This meant the castle had electric lighting long before most towns in the region did.
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