The Knights Templar in Ireland

After the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, large areas of land around the Hook Peninsula were given to the order Knights Templar Order, a brotherhood of monastic Norman warriors, by King Henry II. The Templars became rich during the Crusades and used Templetown as their headquarters. In 1290, The Templars were blamed for much of the loss of Christian control of the Holy Lands and became resented for their wealth, power, and arrogance. King Philip of France, had an eye on their possessions and arrested members on charges of heresy, idolatry, and various sexual vices. Many members confessed to these charges under torture and its head member, Jacques du Molay, was burned at the stake in 1314. In Ireland, arrested Templars were imprisoned in Dublin Castle and tried in St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1310, and while there was no torture, the order was dissolved here as in Europe, and its possessions were transferred to the Hospitallers. The church itself has an unusual castellated tower which was probably built at a later stage for protection from warring Gaelic clans.