Gailey Castle
Gailey old Gailey, Ireland – the home of the cheeky O'Kelly clan and some epic drinking seshes! Designing the rectangular Gailey tower in CAD was straightforward, with precise scaling key to success. After unioning and slicing the model, it was off to the laser cutter. XPSing followed easily, using templates and a handheld hotwire to shape it, including the tricky base arch. Texturing and brickwork came next, with the inside done first before gluing it all up. Bricks were added carefully, and the structure was textured for a ruined effect. Final sculptamold covered any flaws, and boom – it's complete!
In 1351, William Buí O'Kelly, the lord of Gailey Castle in Roscommon, Ireland, hosted a month-long gathering inviting poets, bards, and jesters. This event, known as "Fáilte Uí Cheallaigh" (The Welcome of the O’Kellys), was celebrated for its hospitality and festive atmosphere.
Steps and Process
Introduction & CAD Design: Gaily Old Gaily, Ireland
Gaily old Gaily, Ireland – the place of this cheeky chappy. Inhabited by the O’Kelly clan, you know there’ve been some epic drinking seshes there!
Gailey was a relatively straightforward design on CAD, being a rectangular tower. It was one of the easiest CAD models I’ve created, though keeping a precise scale was key. I tend to design everything as one model, then union all the pieces together before slicing them into sections. Once that’s done, it’s laser cutter time – I let it do its business!
XPSing: Shaping the Tower
Likewise, the next stage of XPSing was easy enough. I used two templates on either side to keep the hotwire in line, following the shape until all the pieces were cut out. For areas with windows, I drill holes and feed the hotwire through, tightening the wire before cutting out internal shapes and popping them out. The most difficult part of this was the small arch at the base. For that, I had to use my handheld hotwire tool to carefully cut out the arch shape.
Texturing: Adding Detail Inside
Once the blocks were together, I decided to tackle the texturing and brickwork inside where the stairs would go – before gluing it all up. For the sake of the pictures, just imagine trying to texture that bad boy once it’s glued!
Using the handheld hotwire tool, I removed the sharp edges and gave the building more of a ruined shape, cutting out pieces from the reference photo that showed dilapidated walls without straight edges. Variation is key for making ruins look realistic!
Bricking It Up: The Brickwork Begins
With the structure glued together, it was time to get bricking. I pulled out the trusty brick kit and got to work, starting with the inside. I drew in the arch bricks and gradually expanded outward, making sure the bricks looked as close as possible to the original. It was tedious work, especially when the stone effect showed odd bricks, but that’s the design I was given, so I just had to deal with it. On the corners where the XPS blocks met, I made sure to blend the bricks in as best as I could, hiding any obvious parting lines.
Final Touches: Texturing and Sculptamold
Then came the final stage: more texturing! Once the building was fully bricked, I punched, kicked, and textured my way through it, aiming for that well-defined ruined effect. By the end, though, the stones weren’t imprinting the texture; they were extruding. Chunks of stone were pushing into the walls, so I covered it all up with sculptamold.
And just like that – boom, the structure is complete!
Gailey Castle
Lackan - Ireland
Gailey Castle
Lackan - Ireland
Gailey Castle
Lackan - Ireland
Gailey Castle
Lackan - Ireland
Gailey Castle
Lackan - Ireland
Gailey Castle
Lackan - Ireland
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