The Laffan family constructed this exceptionally well-preserved castle, which can be seen in the charming fishing village of Slade on the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford. The Laffans, who were of Anglo-Norman ancestry, were among the first colonists to reach Ireland following Richard de Clare's (Strongbow) invasion in 1169-1170. They settled down rapidly in Wexford and had been living there since at least the 15th century.
The Laffans erected a huge, two-story fortified hall in the 16th century. A murder-hole at the hall's lobby entry provided protection and allowed defenders to spout boiling water or hot oil on intruders. Access to a vaulted ground level separated into three distinct chambers is provided via this fortified lobby. At the western end, there is a sizable fireplace, and the southern wall of the eastern chamber contains an oubliette. A painted staircase leads to the second story, which is split into three rooms. A sizable fireplace that was located in the eastern wall of the main chamber provided light and warmth. The roof of the hall has stepped crenellations that match those in the nearby 15th-century tower exactly.
Slade Castle was divided into multiple "apartments" and transformed into a "tenement" in the nineteenth century. This included constructing new windows and doors as well as the exterior steps leading up to the first level of the fortified house. Three families are shown as residing in the castle at a yearly rent of 5 shillings in the loftus estate maps from 1872. The majority of the 19th century modifications were demolished when the castle was taken over by the Office of Public Works in the 1940s.
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