Irish Castles, County Clare
Irelandseye.com continues the tour of Ireland, moving up the west coast, with details of Irish castles. Now to County Clare:
Bunratty Castle
The fashion for renovating castles and using them to host "medieval banquets" may be said to have begun at Bunratty, which was restored in the 1950s and filled with Lord Gort's magnificent collection of medieval furniture and tapestries. It is now one of Ireland's main tourist attractions and justifiably so - for no other castle gives a more lasting impression of later medieval life.The castle once stood on an island in a tidal creek with a view of the water-traffic entering and leaving the port of Limerick. Not surprisingly for such a strategic site, it has had quite a stirring history with a succession of castles from 1251 onwards. The present building was erected between 1450 and 1467 by the Macnamara or MacConmara family. Although of great size, the castle is essentially a tower house. While there are only three storeys in the main body of the castle - with vaulted cellars below the hall - the towers have many floors and small chambers approached by a profusion of winding mural stairs. Many were bedrooms with connecting latrines, the castle having no less than fifteen privies.
The castle's grandeur greatly impressed Archbishop Rinuccini who came here in 1646 and wrote of its great beauty, its ponds and 3,000 head of deer. But the property suffered during the 17th-century wars and towards the end of the 19th century the roof of the great hall was allowed to collapse. It was acquired by Lord Gort in 1954 and since his death the castle and its contents have been held in trust for the nation.
13 km (8 miles) W of Limerick city on the airport road. NGR: R 452610.
Carrigaholt Castle
Set on the verge of a cliff overlooking the Shannon estuary, this is a tall, well-preserved tower house built around the end of the 15th century. The castle was occupied by Teige Caech "the shortsighted" MacMahon, in 1588 when seven ships of the Spanish Armada anchored at Carrigaholt. The following year the renegade fourth Earl of Thomond captured it after a fourday siege and, in breach of the surrender terms, hanged all the defenders. Ownership then passed to the Earl's brother, Donal, who was responsible for inserting many of the castle's windows as well as the fireplace on the fifth floor, which bears the date 1603. Donal's grandson, the celebrated third Viscount Clare, raised a regiment of horse known as the "Yellow Dragoons" for James II's armies. After the forfeiture of his extensive 57,000-acre estate by the Williamites, the castle was acquired by the Burton family who held it until the present century.11km (7 miles) SW of Kilkee. NGR: Q 848512.
Gleninagh Castle
Looking down from a hillside across the wide expanse of Galway Bay, this well-preserved 16th-century tower house stands guard over the northern shoreline of the Burren. It has a distinctive L-shaped plan comprising an oblong tower of four storeys with a projecting turret containing a spiral stair. The third storey is vaulted and the dark basement may have been used as a prison.The castle was built for the O'Loughlins (O'Lochlainns), who were still resident in the 1840s. It remained occupied until the 1890s.
5 km (3 miles) NW of Ballyvaughan off the coast road to Lisdoonvarna. NGR: M 193103.
Lemaneagh Castle
The castle was first mentioned in 1550 when it was granted to Donough O'Brien who was hanged in 1582. By the 1630s it had been inherited by Conor O'Brien, whose wife was the formidable Maire Rua (Maire ni Mahon), about whom there are many tales. It is said that she hung her disobedient men servants by the necks and her maids by the hair from the castle's corbels and used to accompany her husband on raids upon English settlers.When Conor was mortally wounded in a skirmish with Ludlow's army in 1651, she is said to have refused to open the gates to receive her stricken husband, declaring "We need no dead men here", but having found that he was still alive nursed him until his death a few hours later. Ludlow later stayed in the castle for two nights, but found the November weather so foul that he retreated back to Limerick. It was abandoned around 1705 and quickly became a ruin with its lower windows and doors blocked to prevent access.
5 km (3 miles) E of Kilfenora on the Carran/Ballyvaughan Road. NGR: R 233937.
Shanid Castle
Like a rocket on its launch-pad, this unusual 16th-century tower house takes the form of a cylinder impaled upon a pyramid. The castle was originally built by a sept of the O'Briens and later passed into the hands of the O'Loughlins (O'Lochlainns) - self-styled "Princes of the Burren". It was still inhabited by the family at the end of the 19th century, but later fell into ruin. In the 1990s the castle was restored as an exhibition centre for the adjacent Burren Art College.2.5 km (1.5 miles) SW of Ballyvaughan. NGR: M 217064.
from the Appletree Press title Irish Castles
Click here Irish Castles to buy the newly reformatted book from Amazon.co.uk. The previous edition of Irish Castles is also still available from Amazon.co.uk.
