Dublin castle

views updated

Dublin castle. The Viking town of Dublin was, by the 10th cent., dominated by a fortress which was captured by Anglo-Norman invaders in 1170. In 1204 King John ordered the construction of a castle which was probably located on the site of the earlier fortress. Dublin castle became the administrative headquarters of the English colony in Ireland, housing the main organs of government. Re-edified by Sir Henry Sidney in 1566–70, and again after a serious fire in 1684, the castle remained a symbol of English power in Ireland until its surrender to the Irish Free State government on 16 January 1922.

Sean Duffy

More From encyclopedia.com