Rock of Dunamase

Rock of Dunamase

A fortress on a rock

Rising suddenly from the flat green plains of County Laois, in the centre of Ireland, is a great craggy outcrop of limestone — and crowning it are the romantic ruins of a medieval fortress, the Rock of Dunamase. From its broken walls and towers, the view sweeps for miles across the surrounding countryside, showing exactly why people built a stronghold on this commanding height.

An ancient stronghold

The Rock of Dunamase has been a place of defence since very early times; there was a settlement here long before the Normans came. But the castle whose ruins we see today belongs mainly to the Norman age, in the 1100s and 1200s.

The castle came to fame as part of a famous medieval marriage. When the Norman lord Strongbow married Aoife, daughter of the Irish king Diarmait Mac Murchada, in the 1170s, the Rock of Dunamase is said to have formed part of her dowry. Through this marriage and others, the fortress passed down through some of the most powerful families of Norman Ireland, including the great William Marshal.

A defended height

Perched on its rock, Dunamase was a strong and important castle, with walls, a gatehouse and a great hall climbing the slopes up to the summit. Its position made it hard to attack, and it guarded an important route across the midlands of Ireland.

Over the centuries, as power shifted and wars came and went, the castle changed hands and gradually lost its importance, slipping into decay.

Wrecked in war

The final blow came in the 1650s, during the Cromwellian wars in Ireland. The fortress was deliberately wrecked — "slighted" — so that it could not be used as a stronghold again. Its walls were torn down and blown apart, leaving the dramatic, broken ruins that crown the rock today.

Though ruined, Dunamase lost none of its romance. Its shattered walls, scattered across the rocky height with wide views all around, make it one of the most atmospheric historic sites in the Irish midlands.

A place to explore

Today the Rock of Dunamase is a free and open historic site, much loved by walkers, history enthusiasts and photographers. Climbing up through the broken gateways and walls to the summit, visitors can imagine the great medieval castle that once stood here and enjoy the magnificent views that made the rock so valuable.

Visiting today

Visitors can climb the rocky outcrop, exploring the ruined gatehouse, walls and great hall, and take in the sweeping views over the plains of Laois. The site is open and free to wander, a peaceful and dramatic spot steeped in the story of medieval Ireland. Romantic, windswept and rich in history, the Rock of Dunamase is one of the great castle ruins of the Irish midlands.