Dunsany Castle and Demesne

Dunsany Castle and demesne, and other remnants of the family estates, are situated in and near the townland of Dunsany, County Meath, between the historic town of Trim and Dunshaughlin. At nearby Dunsany Cross is a hamlet, ==History==

To the left and right of the front of the current castle are two mounds, believed to be artificial constructions, at least one (to the east) possibly part of an earlier Irish fortification, The western one, with a formation sometimes likened to two dunes, was memorialised by Oliver St John Gogarty. Foundations and the lower parts of the four main towers are likely original, and some interior spaces, notably an old kitchen, but much additional work has been carried out, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, and some of the Dunsany properties in the demesne, the hamlet at Dunsany crossroads, and in Trim. The family's other castle, the largest in Ireland but a ruin, Trim Castle, was transferred to the State in 1993, such a transfer having been refused in the late 19th century. In 2025, the Castle was owned and lived in by Randal Plunkett, 21st Baron of Dunsany. ==Castle structure==

The castle is entered through an outer lobby and then an inner lobby with a worked plaster ceiling, both of which contain military memorabilia. Beyond are the central hallway, featuring the principal stairway and a vaulted ceiling, and a more private secondary hall. The ground floor holds the grand dining room, with portraits of past family members, the former estate office, and a fine arts and crafts billiards room. Also present in the historic castle core, off a spinal corridor ("the passage"), are the ancient kitchen and a more modern one, a bedroom suite, and other rooms. The corridor in turn connects to buildings on the castle's internal yard, with living spaces and the gallery of the 20th Baron of Dunsany, the late artist also known as Eddie Plunkett or Eddie Dunsany. On the first floor of the historic castle are the library, and drawing-room, which has Stapleton plasterwork from 1780. The library, which may have been worked on by James Shiel, is in the "Gothic Revival" style, with a "beehive" ceiling. Also on this floor is a secondary stairway (where a "priest's hole" for hiding Catholic priests formerly existed). The third floor holds ornate bedrooms, some with attached bathrooms, and the principal one also with a dressing room. One of the bedrooms is reputedly haunted. ==Demesne==

Walls, entrances and lodges The demesne is surrounded by a drystone wall, much of which was built during the Great Famine as a relief work. The wall is interrupted by two formal entrances, on the Dublin Road, a farm entrance on the same road, and a closed entrance near the former railway line and the Skane River, on the Glane Road. It fell out of use, perhaps damaged by Cromwellian forces, and a new church was built at Dunsany Crossroads, but it is still consecrated. It was partly restored for the filming of the wedding scene from the film Braveheart in 1994, ==Access==

The grounds are private and access normally requires prior arrangement. The castle can be visited on a certain number of days each year, by way of a guided tour, for a fee. Tours around the nature reserve with small groups are possible as of 2021, though places are very limited. ==Points of note==

The castle and demesne have been used for filming on occasions, for example for Braveheart (the wedding scene was filmed in the Church of St Nicholas, for example) and the remake of The Magnificent Ambersons. ==References==