Cáistell-gréine

Cáistell-gréine (Sceilgeaig: Cáistel-gréine), officially anglicised as Castle Green, is a village in the northeast of Eoil Sceilge between Láic Áimrùimm and the, in the baronetcy of Scéilge Ó Nuard in Rockall. Home to the eponymous castle, Cáistell-gréine is the historic capital of the Kingdom of Gréine. It lies along the Great Eastern Road and has a railway station on the Sceilge Railway.

The village had 2,502 inhabitants as of 2012, making it the second largest place in the baronetcy and the fourth largest on the island.

Etymology
Cáistell-gréine is named after the eponymous castle that is central to the village, which was built there in the 16th century as a replacement for the now ruined first Cáistell-gréine, itself built to replace the collapsed Admarum Castle. With the move of the castle, many of the villagers of Admarum followed and settled at the current location of the village, leaving behind their old home almost desolate.

The castle was named after the House of Gréine, the former royal family of the Kingdom of Gréine that still owns the castle to this day.

History
Cáistell-gréine traces its history back to the 11th century A.D., when the first castle was constructed, the ruins of which still exist today.

The Kings of Gréine sat in Admarum Castle in the village of Admarum from the 5th century till the 11th century A.D. Sometime in the eleventh century, a swallowed up much of the castle, forcing its inhabitants to evacuate. The then-King Emdreil I ordered the household to move from the southern shore of Láic Áimrùimm to the western shore, where they set up a temporary camp. This camp, located atop a small hill, was gradually transformed into a stone castle.

With the royal family having moved to a different castle, much of the population of Admarum moved with them, constructing a village to the south and west of the castle. The village of Admarum was slowly abandoned, with fewer than a dozen people staying there.

The castle remained the main residence of the House of Gréine for over 400 years, and made the village the de facto capital of the kingdom. The village itself grew northwards, but the 11th century castle became harder and harder to properly maintain. Documents from the 14th century mention leaks and crushed stones, and the castle seemed to gradually fall apart. In response, King Fréderic IV ordered a new castle to be built along the lakeshore. It was completed fifteen years later under the reign of Queen Felica II in 1582, and the old castle was abandoned.

As Eoil Sceilge saw several attempted invasions from the English, the Spanish and the Portuguese between 1550 and 1700, a wall was built to protect Cáistell-gréine, the remnants of which can still be found today. The wall surrounded the village along its southern and eastern sides, whilst the western side was protected by Láic Áimrùimm and the northern side protected by the Óibh Ghréine. In part due to these defences, the village was never successfully invaded.

Following the beginning of the Era of Viscountcies, starting for the Kingdom of Gréine in 1702, the village largely stopped increasing in size, having reached its peak in 1710 with approximately 7,000 inhabitants, many of which lived in homes outside of the wall. The population then gradually decreased as many inhabitants migrated to the island of Rockall or to other parts of the Seafaring Confederation on mainland Europe after 1820 Treaty of Hamburg.

Nowadays, the village is small and peaceful, surrounded by uninhabited and ruined houses and farms that often have not seen inhabitants since the 19th century. In 1916, the village was connected to the Sceilge Railway, which is still the village's main way of access.

Geography


Cáistell-gréine is generally divided into four "districts": the Old Castle (Seainncáistel), the New Castle (Neuidcáistel), Before the River (Ód an óibh), and Across the River (Ardras an óibh). The last one is sometimes considered to be a separate hamlet, though is seen by the locals as an inherent part of the village.

Water
The village is located on the eastern shore of Láic Áimrùimm and the southern riverside of Óibh Ghréine. Notably, the area of Ardras an óibh is on the northern riverside.

Located within the village walls are two other, much smaller lakes, namely Láic Táibhelùic (anglicised as Lake Thawlook, literally translated as "Lake Silence") in the northern part of the village, and Láic Lúinn (anglicised as Lake Loon, literally translated as "Lake Moon") in the southern part of the village. The lakes unofficially serve as recreational parks for the locals.

The village is also transversed by several brooks and rivulets, the largest and most notable one being the Óibhmhe Céifran (anglicised is Owe Caveryn, literally translated as "Raven Brook") which separates the Old Castle and New Castle districts and powers the village's two watermills. It is formed by the of the Óibhmhe hÓ (Owe Ho) and the Óibhmhe Péinn-deaibhaid (Owe Pendaywith) just to the west of the former village wall and empties into Láic Áimrùimm. It is also joined by the Óibhmhe Lúinn (Owe Loon), which runs entirely within the village walls and originates from Láic Lúinn.

Lastly, there is Óibhmhe Táibhelùic (Owe Thawlook), which originates from Láic Táibhelùic and separates the New Castle and Before the River districts before emptying in Láic Áimrùimm.

Transport
The village is located along the Great Eastern Road, which runs north to south through the village, providing a direct road connection to all parts of the island. Approximately a mile to the north of the village there is a main road connection to Glenn Cúdio and Point nan Eoil Máibheuirr.

Cáistell-gréine railway station is the village's connection to the island's network of railways, and is served by the East Coast Main and Circle lines. Both lines are served twice per hour in both directions.

The East Coast Main Line runs to Póirthléaid-le-ghéibhunnin northbound and to An Óichra, Perlannin, Glenntrifóirdhin, Róisseartéigh and Ó Duadh southbound. The Circle Line runs a continuous circular service in both directions between Cáistell-gréine, An Óichra, Mionnbá and Point nan Eoil Máibheuirr.

The village is also served by two bus lines, numbered simply 1 and 2. Together, the two bus lines have seventeen stops in the village and both connect directly to the railway station and the village school. Line 1 connects to Láic-le-bhlóidhnin via Glenn Cúdio, and line 2 connects to Póirthléaid-le-dhái-lóinnin via Táibhelùic and Adéi. The bus lines exist because Glenn Cúdio nor Adéi are directly connected to the island's railway network.

Tourism
Due to its historic value, its two castles and its ruined village walls, Cáistell-gréine is a popular destination with tourists and especially amateur historians. To cater to these tourists there are two hotels, one of them located on the property of the castle itself. There is also a campsite to the west of the village.

The village serves as the starting point or resting stop for hikers traversing the island's many trails. The shores of Láic Áimrùimm are very popular with the islanders and tourists alike and also attract a lot of daily visitors, especially during the summer months.