A safe haven

Bullock Castle

Bullock Castle dates from 1150 and was built by the monks of St.Mary’s Abbey. It is a very simple design with the lower story being used as a store. The castle is divided in two (unequal divisions). The castle has had many owners over the course of its history. Today the castle belongs to the Carmelite Sisters. They set up ‘Our Lady’s Manor’ a nursing home in 1964, beside the castle.

Image acquired from the Collectors' Shop, Blackrock Market.

Bullock Castle
Image acquired from the Collectors' Shop, Blackrock Market.

Bullock Castle

Bullock Castle dates from 1150 and was built by the monks of St.Mary’s Abbey. It is a very simple design with the lower story being used as a store. The castle is divided in two (unequal divisions). The castle has had many owners over the course of its history. Today the castle belongs to the Carmelite Sisters. They set up ‘Our Lady’s Manor’ a nursing home in 1964, beside the castle.

Image acquired from the Collectors' Shop, Blackrock Market.

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Bullock Castle dates from the twelfth century (approximately 1150). The monks of St.Mary's Abbey built the castle in order to protect their lands and fishing rights from attack. Bullock Castle offered them a perfect haven as it overlooked the harbour. The plan of this castle is very simple, oblong in shape, with the lower (vaulted) story probably used as a store.

Battlements in the castle take the form of steps and the castle is divided into two. The castle became famous as a 'place of refuge' for many a visitor, the monks were famous for their hospitality.

Bullock Castle (today)

Bullock Castle, Dalkey, Co. Dublin has always been known as a ‘place of refuge. The monks of St. Mary's were famed for their hospitality and this continued in the eighteenth century when John Watson took over the castle.He built a house beside the castle to shelter and help those in need. Today the tradition continues with the Carmelite Sisters who now own the castle. They set up ‘Our Lady's Manor’ beside the castle in 1964, a nursing home for the elderly.

Bullock Castle (today)

Bullock Castle (today)

Bullock Castle, Dalkey, Co. Dublin has always been known as a ‘place of refuge. The monks of St. Mary's were famed for their hospitality and this continued in the eighteenth century when John Watson took over the castle.He built a house beside the castle to shelter and help those in need. Today the tradition continues with the Carmelite Sisters who now own the castle. They set up ‘Our Lady's Manor’ beside the castle in 1964, a nursing home for the elderly.

Enlarge image

Following on from the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII the castle was to be owned by many different inhabitants during its history. By the seventeenth century the castle remained in good condition but the same could not be said for the town.

The port was no longer being used as frequently. In 1641 John Fagan was in residence at the castle and reputedly helped the rebels out during the Rebellion.

During the early part of the eighteenth century the castle came under the stewardship of John Watson, a wealthy and benevolent man. He built a house beside the castle and offered shelter and assistance to people in need.

The castle currently belongs to the Carmelite Sisters. In 1964 they set up 'Our Lady's Manor' beside the castle, it acts as a nursing home for the elderly. Thankfully the castle itself has not been forgotten about and is recognised as a cultural/arts centre.

The end of the eighteenth century saw the decline of the castles/town houses around the area, due to the lessening of traffic through the port. In a sense the decline of the castle meant the end of a way of life.