Location: 9 mi (14 km) North of Dublin Map
Constructed: 12th century
Malahide Castle is situated 9 mi (14 km) North of Irish capital of Dublin in a village of Malahide in a Dublin County. The original medieval Malahide Castle was constructed in the 12th century. Many people say the see a short ghost of a medieval soldier. The legend claims that it is a watchman who fell asleep at his post. He failed to warn the garrison of the approaching enemy and once he realized his castle was doomed he committed suicide out of shame. His spirit still roams the hallways and rooms of the Malahide Castle.
The estate was founded in 1185, when the knight
Richard Talbot, who accompanied Henry II to Ireland, took possession
of the land and harbor of Malahide. The Malahide Castle belonged to
the Talbot family for 791 years, with the exception of the period
from 1649 to 1660, when Oliver Cromwell, after the conquest of
Ireland, granted the estate to Milz Corbet. Corbet hanged himself
after the death of Cromwell and the castle again passed to Talbot.
The castle was noticeably enlarged during the reign of Edward IV, in
1765 towers were added to it. The castle survived tragedies such as
the Battle of the Boyne River, when fourteen members of the Talbot
family sat down to have breakfast in the Great Hall, and by the
evening everyone was dead.
In the 1920s, private papers by Scottish writer James Boswell were
discovered in the castle. They were sold to an American collector by
the great-great-grandson of Boswell, Lord Talbot.
Ultimately, Malahide Castle was inherited by the seventh Baron
Talbot, and after his death in 1973 was transferred to his sister
Rose. In 1975, Rose sold the castle to the state to pay the
inheritance tax, and emigrated to Australia. Many of the contents of
the castle, especially furniture, were sold in advance, which led to
numerous public disputes. But private and state actors were able to
partially recover the losses. Currently, the castle has a museum.