A spooky castle on the border of the Pale

Kilgobbin Castle was built by the Walshe Family in 1476. The Walshes were ‘marcher lords’ and controlled extensive tracts of land and castles in this area including Balally, Kilgobbin, Carrickmines, Brennnastown, Shanganagh, and Old Connaught. Many fortified tower houses were built with a £10 Royal subsidy that was introduced by King Edward VI. This guaranteed an income for anyone who built a castle to defend the border areas around Dublin known as The Pale. They were built within sight of each other and around the outer edges of counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and parts of Louth offering some protection from the ‘wild Irish’ for people living under the crown. The Walshe family, being Catholic and of Norman stock, ended up getting caught on the wrong side, and eventually, all their land and castles were either confiscated or destroyed. Kilgobbin Castle was occupied until the 1700s but had fallen into disrepair by 1834. It is claimed to be haunted by a figure who wears a suit of armor and by a woman who carries a bucket of water and rattles coins in her apron! (please note..it is now on private land).