
Cahir Castle
'Cahir Castle' (
Irish: ''Caisleán na Cathrach''), one of the largest
castles in
Ireland, was built in
County Tipperary in 1142 by
Conor O'Brien, Prince of
Thomond, on an island in the
river Suir. Now situated inside the town centre of
Cahir, the castle is well preserved and has guided tour and audiovisual shows in multiple languages.
In 1375, the castle was granted to Butler, newly-created Baron of Cahir, for his loyalty to
Edward III. The Butlers of Cahir sided with the Irish in the
Elizabethan wars, and in 1599 the castle was captured after a
three day siege by the army of the
Earl of Essex and was for a year put under the charge of
Sir Charles Blount.
In the
Irish Confederate Wars of the late 1640s (waged during the
English Civil War) the castle was besieged twice. In 1647 George Mathew, the guardian of the young Lord Cahir, surrendered to Lord Inchiquin following his victory at the
battle of Knocknanauss. In 1650 he surrendered again to
Oliver Cromwell, during his
conquest of Ireland without a shot being fired.

Cahir Castle
The Great Hall was partly rebuilt in 1840.
In 1961 the last Lord Cahir died and the castle reverted to the state.
External links
★
Cahir Castle — official site