A branch of the Barnewall family occupied Bremore as a manorial seat from the early fourteenth century, and since that time some kind of castle would have been erected. Austin Cooper who visited the castle in 1783 describes it as follows,’Bremore,9th June 1783,the castle of Bremore about a mile N.of Balbriggan is situated on a rising ground very near the sea and commands a delightful prospect therof. It seems rather a modern building with good limestone quoins,window frames, munnions etc,the door on the W,side is particularly neat,ornamented on each side with pilaster wch.support a suitable pediment in the space of wch are two coat of arms parted and pale Vizt-Ermine,a border engrailed on the sinister side-Barnewall and a fess between 5 martins 3 and 2, on the dexter side.The lower part of this castle is very strong and arched in a very irregular manner and the whole appears to me to have been not many years ago inhabited,Besides a number of garden walls and such like enclosures,still to be traced,are the walls of a Chapel in which is nothing remarkable…..‘
The castle and church had fallen into a bad state of repair due to removal of stonework, vandalism and neglect over many years. Fingal County Council bought the site and made the site secure. Balbriggan and District Historical Society (BDHS) put forward the castle and church as a project to the Council and in 1994 a project was set up funded by Fás and Fingal County Council to rebuild the castle, its gardens and church. BDHS continues to be responsible for some of the administrative duties on the project.
Further information about the history of the site of Bremore and the Castle can be found in the Society’s publication, Balbriggan a History for the Millennium.
