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On the coast, halfway between Skerries and Balbriggan,
lies the bay of Barnageeragh whose sandy beach
is backed by cliffs. The area gets its name from
two Irish words, bearna meaning a gap and caora
meaning a sheep.On the hills overlooking this
bay stands Ardgillan castle, which was originally
known as Prospect, because of the fine view from
there of Skerries and the coast northwards to
the Mourne Mountains. The castle is situated on
194 acres of land. In 1737 this property was purchased
from a Dublin wine merchant, Robert Usher, by
the Rev. Robert Taylor. Rev. Taylor was the Dean
of Clontarf. The Taylor family held the castle
and lands for over 200 years. In 1962 Richard
Taylor sold the property to Heinrich Pott of Westphalia
in Germany.
In 1982 Dublin County Council purchased the estate.
The original house was built in the 1730s. It
was extended in the late 18th. and 19th. centuries.
East and west wings were added as were towers
and battlements, which were for decoration only.
A yard was added to the east end of the house
and a walled garden was built close to the west
end. The ground also contained an old ice house
in the woods north of the garden. South of the
house the terrace lined with yew trees is separated
from the parkland by a ha-ha (an open ditch).
The extensive parkland which surrounds the house
has a series of woodland walks running through
it. These were originally laid out by the Taylor
family for their women folk. The parkland is connected
to a section of Barnageeragh beach by a footbridge
across the road and railway.
This footbridge is called the Lady's stairs.
The section of the beach to which this bridge
led was private and was known as the Lady's Bathing
place. Nowadays the castle and grounds are open
to the public and a visitor can get an insight
into life in one of Ireland's "Great Houses."
Back to: History of Skerries
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