Clongowes Wood Castle

The name Clongowes derives from the Irish "cluain" (meadow) and "gobha" (blacksmith), referring to a historic smithy or smithing settlement. The estate was originally known as "Clongowes de Silva," the Latin suffix meaning "of the wood." The Wogan family held the 799-acre estate in 1418 during the reign of Henry IV, establishing their presence on what would become a strategically important bord...