# Castle Archdale

- **Country:** Ireland
- **Coordinates:** 54.477778, -7.732222
- **Notes:** John Archdale built the tower house and bawn in 1615 during the Plantation of Ulster. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, it was destroyed by Rory Maguire but subsequently rebuilt. In the Irish campaign of the Nine Years' War, Archdale Castle was destroyed again in 1689. A mansion, also known as Castle Archdale, was built on the estate in 1778, though this was also demolished. Of the final mansion built on this grounds, only the cobblestone courtyard remains because said mansion collapsed in 1883. During World War II, Castle Archdale was an RAF airbase. The ruins are today within a country park.
- **Year Built:** 1615
- **Castle Type:** Bawn
- **Location Text:** Irvinestown

Castle Archdale is a historic former estate located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, situated on the shores of Lower Lough Erne near Irvinestown and Enniskillen. The original castle was constructed in 1615 by John Archdale, a plantation undertaker from Norfolk, featuring a distinctive T-plan design surrounded by a high defensive bawn with corner flankers. This structure suffered destruction twice, first during the Irish Rebellion of 1641 led by Rory Maguire and again in 1689 amidst the Williamite wars. While the ruins of this seventeenth-century fortress remain within the grounds, a later mansion built in 1773 was eventually demolished in 1970, leaving only a cobbled courtyard and white outbuildings that now house visitor facilities.

The site holds profound historical significance due to its pivotal role during World War II as RAF Castle Archdale, a major flying boat base housing up to 2,500 personnel. Aircraft such as PBY Catalinas and Short Sunderlands operated from here to protect Atlantic shipping convoys from German U-boats. Notably, two Catalinas launched from this location were instrumental in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941. The base also utilized the secret Donegal Corridor, a diplomatic agreement allowing flights to cross neutral Irish airspace to extend their operational range into the Atlantic Ocean.

Today, the area has been transformed into Castle Archdale Country Park, managed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The former concrete aircraft maintenance areas have been repurposed into a popular caravan park, while the remaining historic outbuildings serve as an information centre and tearooms. A museum located within the park preserves exhibits detailing the site's extensive military history, ensuring the legacy of the estate and its wartime contributions remains accessible to the public.

![Photo of Castle Archdale](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Castle_Archdale_-_geograph.org.uk_-_52755.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Archdale (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)