History
A branch of the Eustace family, of Barretstown Castle, Ballymore Eustace, and of Harristown, held Castlemartin from the 13th century. This "Old English" family, once one of the most prominent in Kildare, had intermarried with other Norman families such as the Talbots of Malahide and the Plunketts of Dunsany (twice). Castlemartin belonged to a Eustace widow who remarried to Captain Thomas Lee in about 1580. In 1591 the castle burnt down "by the means of lewd servants", according to Lee. The property reverted to the Eustaces, and was the favourite home of Sir Maurice Eustace (d. 1665), Lord Chancellor of Ireland from the 1660 Restoration.
Read more about this topic: Castlemartin House And Estate
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