The Mint
Native name
Irish: An Mionta
TypeFortified house
LocationTholsel Street, Carlingford,
County Louth, Ireland
Coordinates54°02′25″N 6°11′11″W / 54.040144°N 6.186272°W / 54.040144; -6.186272
AreaCooley Peninsula
Built15th/16th century
OwnerState
Official nameThe Mint
Reference no.242
The Mint (Carlingford) is located in Ireland
The Mint (Carlingford)
Location of The Mint in Ireland

The Mint is a fortified house and National Monument located in Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland.[1][2][3][4]

Location

The Mint is located in the southern part of Carlingford, 120 m (390 ft) southwest of Carlingford Lough.[5][6][7]

History

This castle, variously called a fortified house or tower house, derived its name from the license to mint coins granted to Carlingford in 1467 by Edward IV. However, the present tower comes from later, either the 15th or 16th century. It is believed to have housed one of Carlingford's wealthy merchant families (perhaps the Marmions[7]); however, the lack of a fireplace and the strength of the defences suggest that it may indeed have served as a mint. Against this is the fact that no coin minted at Carlingford has ever been found.[4][3]

Building

Ogee window

The Mint is three storeys high and made mainly of limestone. There is a battlemented chemin de ronde on the roof, with loopholes for muskets. A doorway is protected by machicolation.

The ground and first storey ogee windows (five in total) face onto the street, with carvings of a horse, a bust of a man, a bird, a snake and Celtic interlace ornament which reflects a revival of interest in Celtic art in the 15th–16th centuries. They also have hood mouldings and mullions.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

References

  1. ↑ "1430c - The Mint, Carlingford, Co. Louth - Architecture of Louth - Archiseek - Irish Architecture". 6 January 2010.
  2. ↑ "Louthheritage.ie" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 Davenport, Fionn (1 January 2008). Ireland. Lonely Planet. p. 574. ISBN 9781741046960 – via Internet Archive. The Mint (Carlingford).
  4. 1 2 Ruding, Rogers (1 January 1840). Annals of the coinage of Great Britain and its dependencies: from the earliest period of authentic history to the reign of Victoria. Hearne. p. 241 – via Internet Archive. The Mint (Carlingford).
  5. ↑ Jackman, Neil (8 June 2013). "History hotspot: Carlingford, Co Louth".
  6. ↑ Gerrard, David (1 January 2004). The Hidden Places of Ireland. Travel Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781904434108 – via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 Marmion, William F. K. (1 January 2002). Irish knighthoods and related subjects: an anthology of published works. Irish Roots Cafe. ISBN 9780940134508 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "The Mint - Carlingford & Cooley Peninsula".
  9. ↑ Fraser, Ian. "carlingfordheritagecentre.com - History of Carlingford Heritage Centre".
  10. ↑ "The Mint Carlingford".
  11. ↑ "Medieval Carlingford - Irelands Eden". Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Mint Tower House". 6 November 2007.
  13. ↑ "The Mint, Carlingford".
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