Welcome to Rathfarnham Castle
The original castle at Rathfarnham dates back to the Elizabethan period and was built for Archbishop Adam Loftus, an ambitious Yorkshire clergyman who later became Lord Chancellor of Ireland. In the late eighteenth century, the house was remodelled on a splendid scale employing some of the finest architects of the day including Sir William Chambers and James ‘Athenian’ Stuart. The collection includes family portraits by Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807), Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), and Hugh Douglas Hamilton (1740-1808). Rathfarnham Castle is managed and operated by the Office of Public Works.
During the works taking place, many exciting archaeological artefacts have been discovered! Read the full government press release here, and watch the video here. Rathfarnham Castle reopened to the public on the 16th of October 2015, and you can see photographs from the launch here.
Summer Opening Arrangements
From late April to late September, Rathfarnham Castle is open daily 09.30am – 5.30pm. Last admissions 4.45pm.
Winter Opening Arrangements
From late September to late April, Rathfarnham Castle is open Wednesday to Sunday 10.30am – 5pm. Last admissions 4.15pm.
Please download the Code of Conduct for Dog Owners at this link.
Did you know...
Look for the star symbol throughout the website to check out some interesting facts about the history of Rathfarnham Castle!
What’s On
Join us for a special afternoon performance by guitarist Mike Nielsen. Dr. Nielson holds an LTCL in classical guitar performance and received a Jim Hall Incentive Award to study at Berklee College, Boston. He also holds an MPhil (First award) and PhD in microtonal performance, composition and guitar design. His solo music has developed from a wide-ranging musical taste including, jazz, classical and world music which is performed on a classical guitar. Admission to this event is free, but booking is essential. You can book via the Eventbrite link or by contacting us directly at 01 493 9462 or rathfarnhamcastle@opw.ie.
OPW, Rathfarnham Castle is delighted to host Martin Stephenson (The Daintees) and John Perry (The Only Ones) for this very special performance in the eighteenth century surroundings of Rathfarnham Castle’s elegant Ballroom. Martin Stephenson is one of the UK’s best-loved songwriters/musicians for over 35 years with a strong back catalogue of albums including the highly acclaimed Boat to Bolivia released in 1986. John Perry began playing professionally at age 15 and played on the first Pyramid Stage at the 1971 Glastonbury Festival. He spent several years touring England and Europe with Hawkwind/Pink Fairies collective before forming ‘The Only Ones’ in 1975 with Peter Perrett, recording a series of albums for CBS Records. John Perry is well known for the guitar solo from ‘Another Girl Another Planet’.
The Rathfarnham Castle Blog
Stay up to date, and enjoy glimpses from behind the scenes at Rathfarnham Castle! Below are the latest entries. Click here for the archive.
Doors to the Saloon: Rathfarnham Castle’s connection to the slave trade
Beauty arises from that species of elegance, which we call smoothness… The more the mahogany shines, the more it is considered as an object of beauty: as if the eye delighted in gliding smoothly over a surface... (Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin...
The Birds of Rathfarnham Castle – The Herring Gull
The final bird of the three species that regularly nest on Rathfarnham Castle is the herring gull or the European herring gull as we should properly call it (there is an American herring gull) the quintessential “seagull” and the backdrop to trips to the seaside....
Christmas Traditions
Christmas Traditions Christmastime and traditions go hand in hand. This is despite us not always knowing where these traditions come from or why we follow them. Have a read and find out about which traditions can trace their origins to pre-Christian times and how a...