Carrickmines Castle

Carrickmines Campaign

“A secluded road about two miles in length, conducts us thence to Carrickmines, formerly Carrigmayne, a locality of great historic interest and the site of a castle, portion of which still remains. … (O)n the right will be seen a farmhouse entered from the Glenamuck road. The castle stood on the site of this house and adjacent buildings, and although no definite trace can now be discovered of the foundations other than the great quantity of stones about the place, there still remains, inco- porated with one of the outhouses, portion of the western wall containing a light or window and constructed with great strength and soldidity. Some fifty yards to the south-west is the remnant of a square watch tower that evidently formed part of the outworks. Portion of the moat lies eastward of the farm buildings, and still contains water supplied from the stream that flows through the adjoining fields. An old lane, now closed, probably the original entrance to the castle, leads to the Kilgobbin road.”

pp.54-58 St. John Joyce, Weston; ‘The Neighbourhood of Dublin’, Dublin 1912

"The road can move, the castle can't"

Since April 2002 the Green Party has campaigned to protect the Carrickmines Castle Site. This cultural heritage site is one of the most important archaeological finds in Ireland since Viking remains were discovered at Wood Quay in Dublin City.

By Autumn 2004 a large section of the outer walls of the Castle had been removed to make way for the Road. While the Campaign to save Carrickmines Castle has not been successful, it has led to a heightened interest in our archaeological heritage. Much attention is now being focussed on the proposed M3 Motorway which will pass through the archaeologicaaly rich Hill of Tara site.

Our view is a simple one: -the road can move but the castle can't! The Green Party's options are laid out in a letter to the Director of Transportation in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council on the 27th January 2003. No response was received.

On the 9th December 2003 Ciarán Cuffe appeared before an Oral Hearing held by An Bord Pleanala at the Kingstown Hotel in Dún Laoghaire and argued against the changes being proposed for the massive interchange at Lehaunstown close Cherrywood, just a mile south of Carrickmines, The text of his initial letter to the Board is here.

The press statements below outline our stance and you can find more information on these websites:

Friends of Medieval Dublin

Friends of the Irish Environment

9th October 2003 Dáil Motion on Carrickmines

Green Party Statements On Carrickmines

7th September 2004 Carrickmines High Court ruling a threat to heritage – says the Green Party

19th August 2004 Green Party welcomes High Court ruling on Carrickmines Castle

16th August 2004 MOTORWAY WORKS ON CARRICKMINES CASTLE SITE A BARBARIC ACT - SAYS THE GREENS

12th August 2004 BAD PLANNING LED TO CARRICKMINES FIASCO SAY THE GREENS

29th January 2004 GREEN PARTY WELCOMES HIGH COURT DECISION ON CARRICKMINES CASTLE

10th January 2004 LETTER SUBMITTED TO IRISH TIMES REGARDING CARRICKMINES AND JACKSON WAY

6th January 2004 GREEN PARTY EXPRESS CONCERN AT HIGH COURT DECISION ON CARRICKMINES CASTLE

17th December 2003 GREEN PARTY QUESTIONS DUN LAOGHAIRE RATHDOWN COUNCIL'S INFLEXIBILITY ON CARRICKMINES CASTLE

26th June 2003 CUFFE SPEAKS OUT ON CARRICKMINES

17th June 2003 GREENS WELCOME CARRICKMINES DECISION

15th May 2003 CUFFE CALLS FOR CARRICKMINES CASTLE COMPROMISE

28 April 2003 GREEN PARTY ACCUSES CULLEN OF PUTTING HERITAGE AT RISK BY ABOLISHING DÚCHAS

27th February 2003 CUFFE CALLS FOR CHANGE IN MOTORWAY, NOT CHANGES IN NATIONAL MONUMENTS ACT

24th February 2003 GREEN PARTY DELIGHTED WITH SUPREME COURT DECISION ON CARRICKMINES

22nd November 2002 CALL FOR CARRICKMINES CASTLE CHANGES IN WAKE OF JACKSON WAY FLOOD ALLEGATIONS

16th September 2002 GREEN PARTY CRITICAL OF CARRICKMINES DECISION

29 August 2002 GREENS ACCUSE MINISTER BRENNAN OF SPONSORING CARRICKMINES CASTLE DESTRUCTION

27th July 2002 RE-ROUTE MOTORWAY TO AVOID CASTLE’ - GREEN PARTY

22 April 2002 GREEN PARTY CALL FOR PROPER ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG ON SOUTH EASTERN MOTORWAY

Page last updated 21 September 2005

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com