“A castle? This crumbling tower?” someone might scoff. Don’t let the name fool you. Carty’s Castle, perched here on the slopes of Montpelier Hill, holds a history far more intriguing than its current state suggests. This isn’t truly a castle, and no Carty ever actually lived here. What you see before you, these weathered stones cloaked in ivy, are the last remnants of a grand 18th-century hunting lodge called Dollymount House, or “The Long House” as it was sometimes known. Imagine elegant arches, not these empty spaces, framing the entrance to a sprawling estate. It was built for Henry Loftus, Lord Ely, to impress a beautiful debutante named Dorothea Monroe, niece to his wife. He even named the estate “Dolly Mount” in her honor. Sadly, like many grand gestures, time chipped away at its grandeur. The Elys eventually abandoned the lodge. A tenant named Jack Kelly, perhaps a touch too fond of warmth, stripped the roof and floors for firewood, hastening its decline. The name “Carty’s Castle” seems to stem from a transaction in 1880. A man named Carthy sold the grand stone balls that once graced the estate gates to a Mr. Handcock. Those very balls ended up adorning the Sally Park Estate in Firhouse. So, while no regal Carty graced these halls, the name stuck, a whisper echoing through time. Today, only the West Tower remains, a silent sentinel overlooking Dublin. Stand here, close your eyes, and imagine the laughter of huntsmen, the rustle of fine silks, the echo of a name whispered on the wind… Dollymount House, a fleeting monument to love and ambition, now known as Carty’s Castle.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to