Aughnanure Castle
| Aughnanure Castle | |
|
County Galway | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
| |
| Type: | Tower house |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | M15244170 |
| Location: | 53°25’8"N, 9°16’32"W |
| Town: | Oughterard |
| History | |
| Built 16th Century | |
| Battles: | Siege of Galway |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Ruined |
| Owned by: | Heritage Ireland |
| Website: | Aughnanure Castle |
Aughnanure Castle is a tower house in Oughterard, County Galway, now standing in ruin.
The tower stands close to the shores of Lough Corrib, one of the great freshwater loughs of the county: its name is from the Irish Achadh na nlubhar, which means "field of the yews".[1]
History
The castle was built by the O'Flaherty family in the 16th century, one of Connaught's most notable lordly families. Aughnanure is one of over 200 tower houses in County Galway, constructed mainly by Gaelic and Anglo-Norman landowning families.
The castle was controlled by the O'Flaherty chieftains until 1572, when it was captured by Sir Edward Fitton, President of Connaught, and granted to a junior member of the clan who accepted the legal formalities of recognizing the authority of the Crown. It was used to blockade Galway during the Cromwellian reconquest: soon afterwards, it was granted to the Earl of Clanrickard, and then reclaimed by the O'Flahertys. The castle later fell into the hands of Lord St George as the foreclosure of a mortgage.[2] It is now managed by the Office of Public Works, the Irish State body responsible for national monuments and historic properties.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Aughnanure Castle) |
- Photos of Aughnanure Castle, startpage.ie
References
- ↑ Aughnanure Castle: Oughterard Tourism
- ↑ Profile, IrelandsEye.com; retrieved 25 February 2007.