Ardgillan Castle is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Fingal.
With beautiful views towards the Irish Sea and the Mourne Mountains, Ardgillan Castle is has over 200 acres of parkland, gardens and recreation space.
As well as a place for walking, playing and rest, the Castle has a cafe, artist studios and also hosting tours with both guides and audio. It has also been used in numerous films and series.
Build by the Rev Thomas Taylor family in 1730s after being acquired by Oliver Cromwell’s cartographer Thomas Taylor in the 1640s. The castle was used for dairy farming, rest and recuperation by the family right through the centuries. The Taylors lived here until 1962, which was much later than most other big houses.
Both Ardgillan Castle next door to Hampton Hall had 3 Members of Parliament in the 19th Century. The diaries of Frederick Taylor convey something about how the castle was in its heyday and how power was projected.
There was once a railway station at Ardgillan, which was one of the three conditions negotiated by the Taylors with Great Northern Railways, who wanted to build railway access the land in building the Dublin Belfast rail line in 1844. So as well as being able to have their own family train station, they also negotiated a footbridge to their own private beach and some shares in the railway company too.
In the episode on Hampton Hall, it became appropriate that music be the theme tune to the building’s history. In the case of this building, the music themes were Downton Abbey theme tune, Nazi marching music because it was the host site for Hitler Youth summer camps in the 1930s and Gaeltacht songs, because Hampton Hall was the home of Colaiste Padraig san Samhraidh from 1960s to 1990s.
The theme tunes for Ardgillan Castle could be REM, Meatloaf, Status Quo and Sporty Spice because these artists performed here in 2005, when it was expected that the Castle would become a host venue for big concerts. It didn’t and it is not expected to be a concert venue for various reasons. So we designate two theme tunes for Argillan Castle- Shiny Happy People and Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf.
Why these songs, well all four played here but the REM ‘Shiny Happy People’ song signifies the joy this location brings and Meatloaf’s ‘Bat out of hell’ reminds me of the Spooky tours which I remember they had one Halloween here that was scaring the bejaysus out of kids.
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