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Revision as of 16:45, 4 June 2006
Foulksrath Castle (Irish: Caislean Ratha) is a 15th century Norman tower house located in Jenkinstown in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It presently functions as a hostel in the An Óige (Irish Youth Hostel Association) network, which is affiliated with Hostelling International. It is the oldest hostel in Ireland.
It was built by the Purcell clan, who also constructed several others nearby. After over three centuries as owners, the family was reduced to living as peasants in the castle stables after it was confiscated by Oliver Cromwell and given to his officers after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
The castle was slated for demolition in 1946 but was saved by community support. It was renovated and opened as a hostel in 1948.
Foulksrath Castle is well preserved and restored, with most of the outer wall and some ancillary structures also surviving in addition to the main tower. A pitched roof has been added over the center of the tower, though the open-air walk along the tower's crenellated battlement has been preserved and is still accessible. Inside, three single sex dormitory rooms house up to 52 visitors. A kitchen and bath facilities, as well as a medieval-decorated dining hall have also been added. The four stories are connected by a narrow spiral staircase.
Stories have circulated that Foulksrath Castle is haunted by the daughter of the original owner, who was supposedly killed in the tower. A BBC television crew of British ghost hunters visited in 1992.
