KILDARE: Historic castle site will be cleaned up this year

The Office of Public works is to embark on a clean up operation at a historic site in Naas.

Cllr Anne Breen asked Kildare Kildare Council for an update on the conservation work being carried out at Jigginstown House on the Newbridge Road.

A Naas Municipal District meeting was told that this  has raised this issue with the OPW  and the council has been provided with “the details of the key point of contact for conservation of national monuments and will follow up on the matter.”

The meeting heard that the OPW will focus on this early in 2023.

Over three years ago councillors were told that no timeline is available for the opening of the historic castle, outside Naas, to the public.

The OPW is engaged in a long term project to “stabilise and consolidate the physical fabric of the building and to preserve as much of the building fabric as is physically possible.”

And while local councillors are keen to see the site developed as a visitor centre, it has emerged in 2019 that  there is a problem with access to do some of the work following the creation of a new access off the ring road.

There have been calls for the site to take on a similar role to the Irish Emigration Museum.

Brigid Loughlin, Kildare County Council’s Heritage Officer, said at the time that  the OPW is keen to get back on site and previous delays in progressing the work were due to a shortage of  funds.

Completed in 1637 at a cost of six thousand pounds, Jigginstown Castle (also known as Jigginstown House)  was the brainchild of then Lord Deputy of Ireland Thomas Wentworth, who was executed in London in 1641.

It was built with the intention of becoming a royal palace prior to Wentworth being charged with treason.

Jigginstown Castle was never lived in and fell into decay. The castle is almost 100 metres long and has a series of cellars. The building has a first floor and two corridors.

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