Johnstown Castle

Johnstown Castle originated as a tower house built in the late 12th century by Geoffrey Esmonde, a Norman settler who arrived during the 1169 invasion of Ireland. The Esmonde family controlled the estate for approximately 500 years until the Cromwellian conquest, when Oliver Cromwell himself spent a night at the castle in 1649 whilst preparing for the siege of Wexford. As Catholics, the Esmonde...