Dunamase Castle
Caisléan Dhún Másc
To get to the Rock of Dunamase from Kildare direction – travel via the M7, exit at Junction 16 and take the second exit from the roundabout following the road marked L7380. You will soon see the castle in the distance, as you near the rock you will notice a church on your RHS, followed immediately by a cross roads – take a sharp right turn & you have reached the carpark.
On arrival at the Rock, there are a limited number of carparking spaces available, and the area can be a busy with regular visitors to the site.
When visiting the Rock of Dunamase, the first building you will notice is the Church of Ireland Anglican “Holy Trinity The Rock” chapel nestled at the base of the rock. The church is a relatively small but attractive building, with a cemetery attached with a number of interesting features, including old churchyard headstones.
The stone over the door of the church reads – Trinity Church / Built / Anno Domini 1845 / Revd I E Burton / being then Vicar / of Dysart Enos
The church is classified of regional importance in www.buldingsofIreland.ie its record No. 12801301 describes it as a “detached four-bay Church of Ireland church, dated 1845, with bellcote to gable and chancel”.
Access to the OPW managed Rock & Castle of Dunamase is initially via a small staircase which leads the visitor to a steep(ish) gravel path which in turn winds its way up to the ruins of the castle. Visitors should note that there are very steep drops on all sides of the castle – so young children should be supervised. The rock rises 46 metres above the surrounding farmlands.
As you commence your walk towards the castle ruins you will notice an informative bilingual (English & Gaeilge) lectern board with information about the site, it also contains a small outline map of the structure as it would have looked in its hey-day.
The site takes its name from the Irish Dún Másc (Dún = Fort) the ‘Fort of Másc’. The castle would have been built on the site of a 9th century Dún – an early Christian settlement which was pillaged by the Vikings and now nothing remains of the original structure.
Dunamase became an important Anglo-Norman site, further building work to develop the banqueting hall was undertaken by Sir John Parnell in the late 1700’s. In 1986 ownership of the castle was transferred to the State.
The outer barbican gate & drawbridge are the first fortification one meets on the gravel path. When you pass through the Barbican gate you have an option to take a path to the left, the right or straight on through the main gate which has the remnants of two towers and the remnants of a Curtain Wall built sometime in the 13th century which extended out from both sides of the main gate structure encircling the entire hilltop.
There are quite a few large pieces of the former walls strewn around the site – assume they were displaced when a chap called Cromwell decided to make the castle uninhabitable after a siege in 1650.
Archaeological investigations took place in the mid 1990’s & many artefacts were recovered – including arrowheads, items made from iron & some medieval coinage. Some conservation works followed to stabilise the masonry structures & provide safe visitor access to the site.
As you make your way around the outside of the limestone outcrop structure, on a clear day you can enjoy some stunning views of the surrounding countryside.
When visiting please treat the site with respect, don’t take “souvenirs” or deface the stonework. Clean up after your dog & take your litter home & recycle it there.
Photos by Author.
Sources of information included:- http://www.archaeology.ie / https://laois.ie / https://heritageireland.ie / http://www.theirishplace.com
deaglandepaor 
I always enjoy those depictions on info boards of what a site once looked like when in its prime.
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