A fortified church & The scene of 200 murders

The Knights Templars built the first church here in the 13th century. It was later fortified and became the property of the De Birmingham family, the Lord of Howth, and then to the Barnwells of Drimnagh Castle. In 1652, a group of Irish anti-parliamentarians called ‘The Confederates’ held the castle until it was pummeled by artillery belonging to the forces of Cromwell’s Colonel Trafford. 200 men were caught within the walls and all were executed except two priests who were tortured and deported to France. There is a local name given to a nearby field called the ‘Nuns Stood’ supposedly where the ‘Nuns of Baldongan’ stood and watched this event and the utter destruction of the castle.

Thanks to Castles & Monuments for fab drone footage