ABSTRACT
The first lesson when we consider the period as a whole, which we must emphasise and use as the basis for the whole discussion, is the clear evidence of the close acquaintance shown by the builders of castles in Ireland with contemporary work elsewhere. This is visible, not surprisingly, in the royal works, whether at the new hall for Dublin castle, overtly to be modelled on an English one, or the strongly defended castle at Roscommon. It also applies to baronial castles, from Castle Roche at the start of the period to the castles of Richard de Burgh around 1300. We can attribute this both to the knowledge of the patrons, and to the masons themselves. The use at Greencastle, Co. Donegal, of polygonal towers and two colours of masonry was a political message, recalling Caernarvon castle, which must surely imply that this was Richard de Burgh’s idea. On the other hand, the details of the layout of the rooms in the gate house, paralleled at Harlech, must have come from the mason. Likewise, the decision to build Roscommon castle on such a scale must have been Robert d’Ufford’s. Details, such as the integration of the tower rooms and the latrines in the angles between them and the curtains, would then have been the decision of the mason.
