Drumluck Castle, Censure, Co. Dublin
On the western side of Howth Head, accessible via the cliff walk south of Bottle Quay, lies the site of what was once Drumluck Castle near Censure, County Dublin.
Drumluck Castle, Censure, Co. Dublin
Though the castle itself was demolished sometime before 1937, the location remains a point of historical interest for those exploring the area’s medieval past. Today, visitors will find a naturally sloping promontory covered in pasture, its boundaries marked by more recent property lines that have little to do with the original fortification.
The castle’s complete disappearance from the landscape means there are no visible remains at ground level; no crumbling walls or forgotten foundations peek through the grass. What was once a defensive structure, likely built to control or monitor the surrounding coastline, has been entirely reclaimed by the Irish countryside. The site’s proximity to the cliff walk makes it an easy detour for walkers, though without prior knowledge of its existence, you’d never know a castle once stood here.
The absence of physical remains actually tells its own story about Ireland’s turbulent history, where countless castles and fortifications were abandoned, demolished for building materials, or simply left to decay over centuries. Drumluck Castle joins the ranks of Ireland’s “lost” castles; structures that exist now only in historical records and local memory, their stones long since repurposed or weathered away, leaving behind only the gentle slopes of an unremarkable field.