Benburb Castle

Benburb Castle lies in the village with the same name, northwest of the town of Armagh, in County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland.

Benburb Castle was built in the 1610s by Sir Richard Wingfield during the Plantation. It was probably built on the site of an earlier stronghold of Shane O'Neill, on a cliff above a bend in the Blackwater River; the border between the counties of Tyrone and Armagh. It was then called the Wingfield Bawn.

Benburb Castle has an irregular four-sided plan with the entrance in the north wall, large rectangular flanking towers at the northeast and northwest corners and a smaller, round tower at the southeast corner. There was no main building in the castle as Wingfield had no desire to live here, but living accommodation was provided in gabled flankers.

In 1641 Benburb Castle was taken by Phelim O'Neill who had all the occupants slaughtered. In 1646 it was occupied by Owen Roe O'Neill before he decisively defeated the English army, led by General Monro, at the Battle of Benburb nearby. The castle was dismantled soon afterwards and has remained a ruin ever since.

In the second part of the 19th century the Bruce family built the large manor house northeast of the castle and a cottage was built inside the castle walls.

In the 1940s American troops used the manor house as a hospital and the towers of the castle were altered to allow watchmen on the roofs.

At present the manor house is used as a priory by the Servite Order. The cottage within the castle seemed to be a private residence. Benburb Castle, and the Benburb Valley Park in which it lies, is freely accessible during daytime.

A nice castle, too bad that at the cliffside of the castle there were so many trees that I couldn't get a good viewpoint for pictures.

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