so who has very detailed directions to the UF castle?

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Headache in a Suitcase

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I'm headed to Ireland on Wednesday for the first time... would love to go to the castle... but the directions online I've found are a tad confusing. Who's been there and can give me good directions? PM me or post here or email me at clancy3434@gmail.com.

Any other great u2 or general sites I need to see, feel free to suggest them as well! I'll be at the Clarence hotel for a week.
 
Ooh, I want to get in on this as well. I may be in that area on my next Ireland trip next spring. I found directions on the @U2 site, but they seem pretty vague.

Would love to have more specific directions if anyone has them as well.
 
I went there about 2 months ago. It was a bit of a search, so I hope I remember the details.
That said, the search is part of the fun. :)

General directions:
- Rent a car
- Head out to Athlone, on the M6 out of Dublin (about 120 kms)
- Take exit 9
- Moydrum road is just north of the highway to the west (first to the right) , take that road.

Now it's getting harder to remember. You're getting close, but the castle isn't on this road, nor seen from it. :)

- After Moydrum Road has taken a bend to the left, look for a (tiny) road on your right.
- Take that road and follow it (keeping left). You'll now probably approach the castle from the back. It's where the road takes a 90 degree turn to the left (with on the right the entrance to a farm or so).

We approached the castle from the other side, having followed Moydrum Road a bit longer, until that one took a turn to the right. Then we took the first road to the right, uphill, and once we were going downhill we took a road to the left, driving straight to it.

I think this is the location of the castle on Google Maps:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa...&t=h&z=15&vpsrc=6&iwloc=0004c9346ee2ea2914e30

And just because it was one of the highlights of my holiday in Ireland, here's a picture of it how it was 2 months ago.
297043_10152035072735503_1359849724_n.jpg


And oh, I TOUCHED THE CASTLE!!!
483968_10152035073355503_877695785_n.jpg


(the castle is on private property, so you can't just wander around it though)
 
And oh, if you're approaching the castle from the front, stay sharp. From a distance it looks just like some woods/collection of trees.

313071_10152035072185503_2124992960_n.jpg


That picture also gives an example when I say you have to turn onto a tiny road.
 
Hey Martijn, why'd they (whoever maintains it that is, not U2! lol) let all that foliage grow all over it, any idea? Or is it just basically abandoned? What I mean to say is that it seems far more overgrown than on the album cover, which appeared more..trimmed, maybe?
 
Hey Martijn, why'd they (whoever maintains it that is, not U2! lol) let all that foliage grow all over it, any idea? Or is it just basically abandoned? What I mean to say is that it seems far more overgrown than on the album cover, which appeared more..trimmed, maybe?

That castle is abandoned and the ruin is not maintained as far as I know. The reason it's now more overgrown than on the album cover is that The Unforgettable Fire photoshoot was 28 years ago. :)
 
When I am old and wildly wealthy (an inevitability, of course), I will buy the castle, restore it, and live in it.
 
The reason it's now more overgrown than on the album cover is that The Unforgettable Fire photoshoot was 28 years ago. :)

:lol:

Did I read somewhere that even back then, the castle was on private property, and they were essentially trespassing to take the shots?
 
The reason it's now more overgrown than on the album cover is that The Unforgettable Fire photoshoot was 28 years ago. :)


Oh har har smarty pants! lol

Wow...28 years...christ am I that old? :|

Well I just meant that it seemed that before it looked a bit more trimmed perhaps. I guess it was just how long it had been abandoned, vs now 28 years later. Interesting piece of Irish/U2 history, to be sure!
 
That castle needs a haircut.

That sounds like a great trip. I hope you find it and are able to see it, Headache!
 
Here's a bit of a hint. If you get lost and have to ask a random resident for directions, ask for the U2 castle. They'll know what you're talking about. If you ask for Moydrum Castle, they probably will NOT know what you're talking about.
 
If you see horses on castle ground, just ask nicely on nearby house if you could visit it as they own the property, when I lived in Athlone they gathered up the horses and let me visit the castle and then we went for a ride with horses :wave:
 
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