Artaine Castle, home to the Hollywood family from the 16th century onwards, was the site where Archbishop John Allen met his untimely end during his attempted escape from political turmoil. The Hollywoods maintained their residence here for nearly three centuries, their name recorded in the Civil Survey of 1654;6 as the rightful possessors of the estate.

The castle’s long history came to an abrupt end in 1825 when it was demolished, its stones repurposed to construct a new house on the grounds. This pragmatic recycling of building materials was common practice in 19th century Ireland, though it meant the loss of yet another medieval structure. The site appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1842, marking where the castle once stood, though by then only memories and scattered foundations remained.

In 1875, the Christian Brothers purchased the property and transformed it into something entirely different; an orphanage with a trade school that would serve the community for most of the 20th century. The institution taught practical skills to generations of young people, eventually evolving into what is now St. David’s Secondary School. Today, no trace of the original castle remains visible at ground level, its stones long since incorporated into later buildings, leaving only historical records and old maps to tell the tale of what once stood here.