Enniscorthy Castle

Enniscorthy Castle is situated in Enniscorthy, County Wexford. The current castle was originally built in the 16th century and houses the Wexford County Museum.

History
The first castle was built on this site by the Norman De Prendergasts in 1190, who went on to live there for 300 years. Art MacMurrough Kavanagh attacked the castle in 1400s, in an attempt to regain his ancestral land. He proved successful in this until 1536, when Lord Leonard Grey took the castle and surrounding lands. The castle was burnt down by the Earl of Kildare in 1569, and it was gifted to the Bulters of Kilkenny for their role in the attack. In 1589, Queen Elizabeth I handed the land to Edmund Spenser, though he never took up residence there. Later, during the Elizabethan plantations the Castle was owned by Sir Henry Wallop, who extended and refurbished the castle extensively. The Castle was later occupied by Cromwellian forces in 1649, and used as a prison during the 1798 Rebellion. It then became the private residence of the Roche family, until they vacated it in 1951. In the years following it became home to the Wexford County Museum. The site is now run under the auspices of the Office of Public Works.

Features
The Castle site at the head of the River Slaney, in the centre of Enniscorthy town. As a Norman Castle, it features 4 corner towers, and a 4 storey rectangular keep. The original foundation of a castle on this site goes back to the 12th or 13th-century, though the current structure largely dates from the 16th. Enniscorthy Castle appears to echo the style of other local castles, such as Ferns Castle and Carlow Castle. The Castle had fallen into ruins by the early 1900s, and was restored by P.J. Roche, who extended and reconstructed the building.

Wexford County Museum
For many years the Castle was home of the Wexford County Museum. The Castle was closed for extensive refurbishment in 2006, which saw the collections taken into the care of the local authority. Much of the collections returned to the Castle upon its reopening in 2011, although some parts of the collection were redistributed on permanent loan to other cultural sites, such as the National 1798 Centre. The displays now largely focus on the history of the Castle and the local area. The displays include exhibited artefacts and recreated rooms from the different periods of the Castle's occupation. Other displays are dedicated to the Wexford events relating to the Easter Rising, and Eileen Gray. There are some of the objects of the older Wexford County Museum displays are also featured.