?Tales of Irish Castles? continues with a visit to Offaly, Maynooth and Antrim.

TV3 GROUP RELEASE

IMMEDIATE: Thursday 3rd July, 2014

 

 

‘Tales of Irish Castles’ continues with a visit to Offaly, Maynooth and Antrim.

 

TV3 dares to visit one of the most haunted places in Europe, the Leap Castle in Co. Offaly.

 

Simon Delaney discovers why only the members of the aristocracy were allowed on the top floors of the Irish castles in the 15th century.

 

We explore the ruins of Maynooth Castle, the centre of the political power in Ireland in the 16th century.

 

Did you know that the Irish had a paid army - to help them fight the English - as far back as the 14th and 15th centuries?

 

Simon Delaney is available for interview on request

 

‘Tales of Irish Castles’ episode 3 airs this Sunday 6thJuly at 6.15pm on TV3.

 

Tales of Irish Castles is an entertaining and engaging documentary series exploring the great stories and characters associated with the most beautiful, notorious and historical castles built across Ireland.

 

In the third episode of this six part series, presenter Simon Delaney details the change in politics of Ireland, where the Irish clans begin to fight back against the Anglo Norman settlers. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, a new type of castle emerges - the tower house, which was built for both defence and as a family home. Within a few years, over 3000 tower houses dotted the landscape.

 

This episode documents Leap, the haunted castle in County Offaly. Leap is the oldest inhabited castle in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. The place still carries the scars of the horrific events it witnessed- three cartloads of bones were extracted from here.

 

Simon Delaney explores the first castle to be besieged by cannon fire in Maynooth and discovers why the Maynooth Castle was, in reality, the centre of the political power in Ireland in the 15th century.

 

This episode also tells the love story of Dunluce and Clonony Castle in the midlands - home to an American dancer and resting place of Ann Boleyn’s two sisters - Henry VIII’s two sisters in law.

 

Ballet teacher Rebecca Armstrong, the Clonony Castle’s owner, speaks about her life in the medieval building and tells the story of the two sisters in law of Henry VIII – Mary and Elisabeth Boleyn: “There were two ladies, Mary and Elisabeth Boleyn, heads intact, and they were sent here (Clonony Castle), for safety, because it really was quite dangerous to be a Boleyn at the time. These ladies never married and, when one of them died, the other one jumped from the tower”.

 

Other Irish Castles featured throughout the series include: King John’s Castle in Limerick, Birr and Charleville Castles in Offaly, Luttrellstown Castle in Castleknock, Aughrim Castle in Galway, Tullynally Castle in Westmeath, Kilkenny Castle, Dublin Castle, Castle Leslie in Monaghan, and Blarney Castle in Cork.

 

Tales Of Irish Castles is produced by Sideline Productions for TV3, funded by the BAI and hosted by award winning actor Simon Delaney (BBC’s The Fall and Roy; CBS’s The Good Wife’ and SKY’s Emmy Award winner Moone Boy).

 

‘Tales of Irish Castles’ episode 3 airs this Sunday 6th July at 6.15pm on TV3.

 

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ENDS

 

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NOTES TO EDITOR:

 

Simon Delaney Biog

Simon Delaney has been working as an actor and director for more than 16 years in Ireland and the UK, and more recently in the US.

Simon has recently filmed Mrs Browns Boys, The Movie.  Prior to this he shot his third series of Moone Boy, directed and co-written by Chris O'Dowd and the Alan Partridge Movie, with Steve Coogan.

Other recent US screen credits include The Delivery Man, a feature film for DreamWorks, in which he plays Vince Vaughn's brother, The Good Wife opposite Juliana Margulies and Touch which stars Kiefer Sutherland.  Another recent feature film is This Must be the Place with Sean Penn.  Simon played the title role in John Carney's feature film, Zonad which was nominated for 6 Irish Film & Television awards including Best Film, and was a huge hit at the Tribeca Film Festival, receiving a 5 star review from Variety magazine.  Other European screen work includes Moone Boy (SKY TV), Fathers & Son (RTÉ/ITV) and Roy for CBBC, which received two BAFTA nominations.  Simon has shot two TV series for BBC, Pulling Moves in which played the lead role, and The Fall with Gillian Anderson.  Simon has received 4 Irish Film and Television Academy Best Actor nominations, and for the past three years has hosted the ceremony, live on RTE television.

 

Theatre credits include Stones in His Pockets (Charlie Conlon) at The New Ambassadors & Duchess Theatres in London, OneFlew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (R.P McMurphy), Glengarry Glenross (Richard Roma), The Odd Couple (Oscar Madison), The Boys in the Band (Michael) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Le Vicomte de Valmonte).  Simon performed the Irish premier of Defending the Caveman at The Tivoli Theatre in 2007.

 

Musical theatre credits include Jerry Springer the Musical (Jerry),The Blues Brothers (Jake), The Full Monty (Dave), 42nd Street (Julian Marsh), The Wiremen (Tommo), Guys and Dolls (Nathan Detroit) and The Hired Man (Isaac Tallentire).

           

Directing credits include Beauty & the Beast, Stones in his Pockets (German Premier & National Tour), Cinderella,The Full Monty (Irish Premier), West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Honk, Oliver, Cabaret and The Hot Mikado.

 

Tales of Irish Castles – Episode 3 Synopsis – The Fightback

Simon Delaney details the change in politics of Ireland, where the Irish clans begin to fight back against the Anglo Norman settlers. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, a new type of castle emerges - the tower house - built for both defence and as family home. Within a few years over 3000 tower houses dotted the landscape. The episode documents the haunted castle in Leap; the first castle to be besieged by cannon fire in Maynooth; the love story of Dunluce and Clonony Castle in the midlands - home to an American dancer and resting place of Ann Boleyn’s two sisters - Henry VIII’s two sisters in law.