‘Lost’ medieval castle found hiding in plain sight after professor spots telltale clues

A professor recently discovered that a medieval castle thought to have been lost for centuries was hiding in plain sight — inside a Victorian-era building on a modern college campus.

The discovery was announced by University College Dublin (UCD), in Dublin, Ireland, on Sept. 18.

The school announced in a release — entitled “‘Lost’ medieval castle found hiding inside UCD building” — that medieval archaeology professor Tadhg O’Keeffe found substantial portions of the medieval Roebuck Castle still survive within the university’s present-day building.

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The present-day Roebuck Castle retained the name of its medieval predecessor — but the Victorian-looking building was long believed to contain little, if any, of the original castle.

The original structure had fallen into ruin by the 18th century and was later incorporated into a residence that underwent extensive alterations, including a major Victorian makeover in 1874. UCD purchased the property in 1986.

University College Dublin (UCD) professor Tadhg O’Keeffe, shown above left, spoke to Fox News Digital about his discovery of substantial portions of medieval Roebuck Castle hidden within the present-day building. The UCD campus is seen at right. (Fox News Digital; iStock)

O’Keeffe told Fox News Digital that, despite those centuries of changes, most of the medieval structure is still there.

“I would say that 70 to 80% of the building is still there, hidden under Victorian plaster,” he said.

He began investigating after studying 18th-century watercolors by artist Gabriel Beranger, which depicted the medieval castle before the property underwent major redevelopment.

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“I wasn’t terribly optimistic,” O’Keeffe said. “When I got into the building and had a look around, I realized that actually, most of the castle is still there, inside the building.

“It’s not obvious to the naked eye,” he went on. “It’s not obvious to a non-expert. But I specialize in medieval castle architecture, and I saw all the indications when I went in that the castle is still there.”

A medieval castle long thought to be lost still survives, it turns out, within a Victorian-era building on the University College Dublin campus. (University College Dublin; Tadhg O’Keeffe)

The clues were hiding beneath the building’s more modern appearance.

O’Keeffe pointed to unusually thick walls, along with a stone vault and arched stone roof, as evidence of the building’s medieval past.

“The gate tower is very clear on the inside,” he said.

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“Everything is plastered over so you can’t see the original stonework anymore, but it’s all clearly still there,” he said. “Also, the windows are splayed, and splayed windows are a real indication of a medieval date.”

Roebuck Castle was likely built in the early 13th century, after the Norman invasion of Ireland began in the late 12th century.

Plaster now covers the original stonework, but architectural features still provide evidence of the building’s medieval history. (Tadhg O’Keeffe)

Roebuck Castle also stands out for another reason: Researchers know who owned it through much of the Middle Ages.

The owners were “people of some significance,” O’Keeffe added.

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“One of them, in modern terms, would be the equivalent of the chief justice in the Supreme Court, the most senior legal person in Ireland for part of the Middle Ages,” the historian said.

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“Another resident at one stage, temporarily, was King James II. It’s reputed that he lived there briefly in the late 1600s.”

That level of detail is unusual, O’Keeffe said, because records for castles around Dublin are generally sparse.

“The great takeaway … is never assume things are gone.”

“We have a record of its owners really until about the start of the 17th century, when it seems to have been abandoned and probably suffered in the wars of the mid-17th century,” he said. “So it’s unusual for a castle of its type to have a recorded history.”

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Although the renovations preserved much of the medieval castle, O’Keeffe said, it appears to have been more a matter of practicality than historic preservation.

“There was no policy of preservation. There was not a particular interest in the medieval building,” he said.

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“They clearly figured that the fastest way to do that was to simply leave those walls and incorporate them.”

O’Keeffe said the discovery suggests other castles in Ireland that are presumed lost could still survive within later buildings.

O’Keeffe, at right, estimates that 70 to 80% of the medieval castle remains hidden beneath Victorian-era plaster. (Tadhg O’Keeffe; Fox News Digital)

“The great takeaway … is never assume things are gone,” he said. “You have to go in and look. You have to explore.”

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“There are probably lots of other castles that are locked up in buildings around the country [and] are assumed to be gone — but are not gone at all,” he said.