Enniscorthy Castle, Norman castle in Enniscorthy, Ireland.
Enniscorthy Castle is a Norman fortress in County Wexford, Ireland, with four corner towers and a rectangular keep that rises several stories above the River Slaney. The stone structure stands at the heart of the old town and functions today as a museum with gallery spaces on multiple floors.
Stone construction began in the late 12th century under Philipp de Prendergast and his wife Maud, replacing an earlier wooden stronghold on the same site. Over the following centuries the castle passed through the hands of several English noble families before coming under the control of the Crown.
The Wexford County Museum is housed here and displays collections on local crafts, everyday life, and the history of the surrounding region. Visitors can walk through rooms that once served as living quarters and storage spaces, now filled with objects from many centuries.
The castle sits right in the center of Enniscorthy and is easy to reach on foot from the main streets. Going in the morning tends to be a good choice, as the rooms are quieter and you can move through them at your own pace.
During the 1798 Rebellion, the castle was used as a prison by both sides of the conflict at different moments, holding Irish rebels at one point and British soldiers at another. This back-and-forth happened within a short span of time, making it one of the few buildings that held prisoners from both sides of the same war.
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