Underlining the status of the town for more than five centuries is the showpiece 15th-century banqueting hall within the castle of the Fitzgerald lords set on a rocky island in the river Deel. Matching the historic value of the banqueting hall is the almost perfectly preserved cloister within the ruins of the Franciscan Friary dating from 1389. Remains of a 13th century church are near the town's Protestant church where the remains of the poet, Aubrey de Vere are buried.