First-class museum in one of Ireland’s prettiest villages

The picturesque village of Dalkey was once Dublin’s most important medieval port. This area was also at the outer edge of The Pale and so was constantly under threat of attack from displaced Gaelic clans such as the O’Byrnes and the O’Tooles. There were originally 7 castles in this village but only Dalkey Castle and Archibald’s Castle remain. The castles were built both to defend and store valuable goods such as wine and tobacco. In the 16th century, Dalkey Castle was owned by The Cheevers family who were of Norman origin and whose name means goat in French. They featured the goat on their family crest and even called the castle ‘Goat Castle’ – no kidding. During the Victorian era, 5 of the castles were demolished to provide handy building materials for the new houses. Dalkey Castle is now an excellent heritage center and tourist attraction.