CAHIR CASTLE

Built in the 12th century by Conor O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, and enlarged in the 15th century, this imposing castle overlooking the River Suir was considered, at the time, to be an impregnable model of defensive work. It was owned by the Butlers, a powerful family of Anglo-Norman origin, from 1375 to 1961. Cahir Castle, located in the heart of the town, has been fully restored and is a fascinating place to visit (excellent guided tours). There is a model of the terrible siege of May 1599, when the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth^I of England, took control of Cahir after three days of bloody fighting, and a film (shown in French at certain times) on the history of this castle, which is one of the best preserved in Ireland. The castle was also besieged twice during the Irish Confederate Wars: Lord Inchiquin, after his victory at the Battle of Knocknanauss, took it in 1647, and then it reverted to Oliver Cromwell - without a fight - three years later, when the latter was in the midst of his conquest of Ireland. A real medieval castle, with its keep, its ramparts, its beautiful rooms and its square towers, not to be missed!

Seventh art. The impressive Cahir Castle was the setting for Mel Gibson's film Braveheart (1995) and John Boorman's Excalibur (1987). And in 1975, Stanley Kubrick shot a fight scene in the spiral staircase of the dungeon for Barry Lyndon.