Kilcash Castle, County Tipperary, Ireland
In 2000, I visited Ireland for the first (and so far, only) time. I rented a car from Belfast and spent a week driving alone around the country, from north to south, east to west. If you’ve never been, Ireland is a beautiful place. Uncrowded, green and easy to get around. As a photographer, it was a very full week, shooting from early in the morning until late at night. Stayed in some B&B’s, spent a few nights in the car.
Kilcash Castle sits on private property away from the road about half a mile and gets few visitors. It’s not on any signposts or tourist maps. I don’t even know who owns it, but it’s not open to the public. As I passed through the old iron gate into the interior of the ruins (ok, I hopped the fence), there was nothing much to see inside except a spiral stone staircase in the walls which had survived hundreds of years, which opened up to an open sky. I hesitated to climb it as I didn’t know what sort of state it was in. After deciding it probably wasn’t going to collapse, I went up two floors to see the view, my heart pounding. Guessing it was safe enough to go further, I stopped and went back to the car where I put on my boots, dropped off my heavy camera bag and took just two camera bodies (with infrared and T-Max 3200 film) and two lenses (20mm and 28mm) with me back into the castle. Inside again, I cautiously made my way up the steps, past the second floor, up to the third and finally to the fourth floor– the top of the castle.
The view was magnificent. In the English castles I’m used to visiting, access is usually very limited, with modern safety railings and locked doors to restrict you. But at Kilcash, the castle had been totally abandoned, overgrown with weeds and wildflowers growing from the walls where the roof once was. This photo is what I saw from the opening of the stairway, taken with infrared film to accentuate the weeds and grass on top, as well as the vivid blue sky and clouds. Definitely the highlight of my week in Ireland.
Settings? Canon A-1 SLR, Kodak High Speed HIE Infrared Film (developed in Agfa Rodinal and printed on Ilford Multifibre paper), 20mm f/2.8 lens, exposure and ISO unrecorded.
Michael Hudson Fine Art Photography 
Hi Michael, Kilcash is where I grew up and we used to climb to the Top of Kilcash Castle all the time then. about maybe 15 years ago(maybe more) they closed it as it was deemed unsafe. Back then you could actually walk all around the Top on a narrow piece of stone that looks like its well gone by now. I would love to know if you sell your photos as I would be interesed in this one, it really is a beautiful, haunting shot. The Castle is rumored to be haunted by the way:)
Did you take any of the whole Castle from outside?
Best Teresa
Thanks for writing Teresa. Climbing up to the top of the castle really was the highlight of my week in Ireland; you’re lucky to have grown up so close. I wonder what it is like now; this picture is almost thirteen years old. I took a lot of pictures at Kilcash- the whole castle including the field next to it, as well as lots of interior pictures. I will email you a price list Tuesday.
Just sent you an email Theresa…