Own your own Irish Castle for just $62,000 - rare opportunity arises

Auctioneers set to sell off a 1417 ancestral gem for a pittance - VIDEO

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

7 Comments

White Castle, County Kildare

Photo by Old Castle Eire

Tweet

The residential property “Whites Castle” at the center of Athy town, County Kildare, will be sold at auction with a reserve price of just $62,000 (€50,000).The property dates to 1417 and is located about an hour from Dublin.

The property is described by auction house Allsop Space, as being arranged over three floors. The home was “built in 1417 by Sir John Talbot, Viceroy of Ireland, to protect the bridge over the River Barrow.”

The stunning historic home is located on Duke Street, at the center of Athy village, on the west bank of the River Barrow.

Allsop Space have had amazingly good values in recent previous auctions, such a small housing estate in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, which was listed for $161,000 (€122,500) and a 43-room hotel in Killarney, County Kerry with a maximum reserve price of $676,107 (€515,000). However, a castle with a starting price of just $62,000 (€50,000) seems the most shocking thus far.

The auction house continues “Built into the wall on either side of the original entrance doorway are two sculptured slabs which state that the castle was previously owned by the Earl of Kildare signified by the coat of arms to the right of the entrance doorway.”

According to Kildare.ie: “The slab on the left bears the date 1573, and the name Richard Cossen, Sovereign of Athy. It is believed to have been taken from a mill which once stood on the site of the present Castle Inn.”

The local site continues “Nearby is Crom-a-boo bridge, from which you can look across the river Barrow to Woodstock Castle. "Crom-a-boo" was the war cry of the Geraldine family, and the inscribed stone in the bridge shows that it was built in 1796 by "Sir James Delahunty, Knight of the Trowel"”

Over the years the castle has served as a garrison for troops, a prison, a constabulary barracks and now a private residents.

The building served as a prison after the rebellion of 1798 when it became a home for captured rebels. In 1824 inspectors reported “without exception the worst county jail I have met with, in point of accommodation having neither yards, pumps, hospital, chapel or proper day rooms”.

The prison was eventually closed in 1859 but the buildings interesting history has made it popular with groups such as the Irish Ghosthunters who recently held a séance in the building. Perhaps this along with Ireland’s ailing economy is the reason the historic property is selling for such a cheap price.

Allsops space states that the town of “Athy is approximately 72.8 km south-west of Dublin and it can be accessed off the M9 Motorway. Portlaoise is approximately 23 km to the west and Carlow Town is 18 km to the south. The area is well served by local amenities and the subject property is located in the centre of the town.”

The property is a historic protected structure.

The auction, presided over by Allsop Space Property Auction, will take place in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin on 6th July.

Here’s some The Irish Ghosthunter’s footage of White Castle:
(Be advised of some strong language)

Print

E-mail

Tweet