The Irish Aesthete

Two Ruins, One Site Located in County Meath, but close to the border with County Offaly, Castlejordan is said to take its name from a man named Jordan, but who he might have been is open to conjecture.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/07/13/castlejordan/

All Locked Up A former lock keeper's cottage on the Royal Canal in County Westmeath. Dating from c.1810 and adjacent to Lock Number 35, the cottage was built to a common plan and style by the Royal Canal Company as part of its development of the facility.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/07/10/lock-keepers-cottage/

Walking with Ghosts of the Past In 1862 The Dublin Exhibition Palace and Winter Garden Company Limited was established with a capital of £50,000 by three men, the Duke of Leinster, Lord Talbot de Malahide and Benjamin Lee Guinness.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/07/06/iveagh-gardens/

An Uncertain Attribution Dating from the end of the 15th century, Farney Castle, County Tipperary began as one of the circular tower houses that are predominantly found in this part of the country.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/07/03/29888/

A Very Superior Style of Sculpture and Architecture ‘Abbey of Sligo: A monastery was founded in this town A.D. 1253 by Maurice Fitz Gerald, then Lord Justice, under the invocation of the Holy Cross, for friars of the Order of St.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/29/sligo-abbey/

Castle Hackett Castle Hackett, County Galway dates back to the 13th century when, as the name indicates, it was built by the Anglo-Norman Hacketts who had arrived in the country during the previous century and mostly settled in the south-east (for example, in County Carlow, where the settlement of Hacketstown testifies to their presence).... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/26/castle-hackett/

Of Napoleon’s Toothbrush and Other Matters One of the oldest institutions in this country, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland dates back to 1654, although its first royal charter was granted by Charles II in 1667.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/22/rcpi/

Playing Peekaboo After Monday’s post about Ardfinnan Castle, here are the remains of a religious house found a little to the south on the other side of the river Suir.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/19/ladys-abbey/

An Impression of Grandeur and Picturesqueness For many years, the Irish Aesthete has driven past a castle in County Tipperary and wondered about its history.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/15/ardfinnan-castle/

For the Infirm The former County Infirmary in Armagh city. As designed by George Ensor, work began on the building in 1767, but was only completed in 1776 with the south wing overseen by architect Richard Louch and carpenter John Harvey.... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/12/armagh-infirmary/

A Sadder Sight than One would Thinkhttps://theirishaesthete.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=jetpack#/sharing 'It was a sadder sight than one would think, To see that ruined church upon the hill,... https://theirishaesthete.com/2026/06/08/a-sadder-sight-than-one-would-think/

Spot the Difference A little detail likely missed by most of the car drivers and pedestrians hurrying past the Garda Station at the junction of Pearse and College Streets....

A Reawakening

Through the Gate

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?

A Memorial

A Ducal Birthplace