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On a warm Friday in April 1014 the historic Battle of Clontarf took place. It all began when Mael Morda, King of Leinster, began to plot against Brian Boru making an alliance with Sitric, the Viking King of Dublin’s and a host of local Vikings. Brian Boru took on them all and the great battle was fought at Clontarf ending in victory for Boru. Alas, on the night of the victory, Boru was praying in his tent (as one does), surrounded by his guards. A small group of Vikings, who were retreating from the battle came across them and killed them all (Brian Boru was a ripe old 72 years of age at the time). And it would be another millennium before a new King of Ireland, also calling himself Brian was born.
In Viking times Hugh de Lacy built the castle as an inner circle of defence sites protecting Dublin. Some 500 years later and Luke Netherville of Corballis and an army of 12,000 men took possession of nearby Artane Castle and village in defence of their religious beliefs.
George, King of Clontarf, joined in the rebellion. And with Netherville seized a vessel believed to contain the weapons and ammunition of the enemy only to be attacked by Sir Charles Coote and troops who found most of the ships cargo and put a massive sum of 400 Pounds on the King’s head and the Castle was confiscated. Then the bold Cromwell granted the estate to John Blackwell, who sold it to John Vernon, whose family remained in Clontarf for almost 300 years and in the castle until it was demolished and rebuilt in the 1830s since when it has changed hands many times, through to today.
