Becoming Jane

Charleville Forest Castle is a Gothic-style castle located in Co. Offaly, Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the Shannon River. It is considered one of the finest of its type in the country. The castle is situated in Ireland's most ancient primordial oak woods, once the haunting grounds... of Ireland's druids. In the 6th century it was part of the ancient monastic site of Lynally, which itself was in the ancient Durrow monastic settlement. Later, in the early days of Ireland's colonization, when the city of Dublin felt threatened by the wild tribes of the West, these lands became the focal point for the first Marian, and later more violent Elizabethan, plantations. By the mid-fifteen hundreds, the lands that were originally ruled by the O'Moore clan were securely "planted". From this point on a dynasty was established which endured into the late nineteenth century. Charleville Castle grew from paper doodles in early 1798 to grandiose plans by the end of that very eventful year in Ireland. It was built by Charles Bury, 1st Earl of Charleville. It was designed by Francis Johnston, who also designed the GPO in Dublin, one of the leading architects of the day.
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