Leighlinbridge is a pretty and ancient riverside village on the Barrow Way. Its original Black Castle was one of Ireland’s earliest Norman castles and nearby lie the ruins of the country’s first Carmelite priory, built in 1270 by Carew. The castle was rebuilt in 1547 by Edward Bellingham, but sacked by Cromwellian forces in 1650. A broken castle tower, which is 50 feet tall, and the bawn wall make up the ruins seen today.
