The Plan of his Majesties Castle of Limerick

Artist(s): Thomas Dineley (Draughtsman)

Bird’s-eye view of the heavily fortified Castle of Limerick, known as King John's Castle. Along the walls are towers and turrets, and a gate with drawbridge. Dineley has added drama to the scene in the form of four fragments of printed plate pasted within the walls, representing a troop of soldiers, two horsemen, and two separate groups of soldiers running in line with lances. Red colour has been applied to parts of these. To the left of the castle are pasted two more fragments of plate representing ships. The image incorporates a scale. The cardinal points, indicated in red, show that the point of view is north of the castle. The lettering in the image and accompanying index can be arranged to spell THOMAS DINGLEY. <br>Dineley copied this image from Sir Thomas Stafford’s <em>Pacata Hibernia</em> (1633), omitting a bridge in the foreground but adding the elements pasted on the image. <br><br>Source: <br>Evelyn Philip Shirley et al., ‘Extracts from the Journal of Thomas Dineley, Esquire’, <em>Journal of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society</em>, vol. 6, 2nd series (1867), p. 203.

Inscribed in Image

  • Text within boundaries of image – A SCALE of YARDS. TD.

Image Details

Genre Landscape
Technique Collages, Engravings, Pen and ink drawings
Subject(s) Antiquities and archaeological sites, Architecture, Forts and fortifications
Geographical Location
  • King John's Castle – Castle
  • Limerick – County
  • Limerick – Town or city
  • Munster – Province
Keyword(s) Archaeological sites, Bridges, Buildings, Castles, Gates, Hats, Horses, Men, People, Rivers, Ships, Towers
Colour Handcoloured
Dimensions 14.5 cm x 20 cm
Published / created 1681

Bibliographical Details

Travel Account Observations in a Voyage through the Kingdom of Ireland
Contributor(s)
Note ,,
Print or manuscript Manuscript
Location of image in copy p. 244
Source copy National Library of Ireland MS 392
Permalink https://ttce.universityofgalway.ie/irelandillustrated/view/image/ii_image_1375370470
Rights Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Related text from travel account

The Plan of his Ma<sup>ties</sup> Castle of Limerick in y<sup>e</sup> Kingdom of Ireland as touch’t of on the other side
T The Entrance Gate and Portcullis.
H The Castle’s Ditch.
O A slope ascent to the Bastions Platform.
M The Sally port.
A An Ascent by staires to y<sup>e</sup> foot path on y<sup>e</sup> Wall
S Three round Towers carrying Cannon.
D The Storehouse
I Inletts and Doors into that Tower.
N The Drawbridge over y<sup>e</sup> Castle Ditch.
G The New Bastion able to contein 6 Cannon.
L [blank]
E [blank]
Y [blank] <br>[p. 243]
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