Johnstown Castle

Experience the timeless beauty of Johnstown Castle and discover the fascinating ways its unusual history has been shaped by the changing fortunes of Ireland’s Ancient East.

The Castle

Johnstown Castle stands on an estate first granted to the Esmonde family as thanks for their role in the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, and its fortunes over the centuries reflect the richly layered story of this storied region in the centuries that followed.

In the 19th-century, the Grogan family re-imagined and remodelled the castle with a romantic, neo-Gothic design – delivered with the help of Daniel Robertson, who also shaped the gardens at the Powerscourt Estate.

Together they created the neo-Gothic castle you see today, adorned with turrets and towers, and Johnstown’s sumptuous gardens and parkland, studded with three lakes and bordered by woodland walks.

Tour Johnstown Castle

  • Admire gorgeous original features in rooms that give you an authentic sense of life for gentry and staff in times long past.
  • Hear tales that weave in the Norman knights, Cromwellian invaders, and even 1798 rebellion that Johnstown has hosted over the centuries.
  • Learn how Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens’ forward-thinking owners made efforts to protect religious and political freedoms for all, sometimes at great personal cost!

Walk the Servants’ Subterranean Passageway

After getting a taste of the gentry’s lifestyle, head downstairs to Johnstown Castle’s kitchens to learn about servants’ lives and work!

Then step inside the remarkable 86-metre servants tunnel that kept busy staff out of sight in one of Ireland’s most distinctive Big Houses.

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