castles historical galway

Some 7km along the road to Tuam, near Castletown House, is the site of the ancestral home of the Lally's, Tollendal (of Tullynadaly) Castle.
One member of the family, the celebrated Baron Lally, Marechal de France, made strenuous attempts to drive the English from India.
He failed and was executed by Louis xv as a traitor, but afterwards his name was cleared, and is inscribed in the Arch De Triomphe in Paris....

Situated on the rocky hill south of the landing place, and also known as Dun Formna, this is a 15th century tower, set in a stone ring-fort, which is one of Inis Oirr's (Inisheer) striking features as you approach the island....

A fine mid-16th century tower-house. The first floor is vaulted and has a fireplace. The second floor had a fine room with arcades, and a very good fireplace, inserted in 1604, with a Latin inscription asking that the builder (whose initials were W.H. ) be preserved from all evil.

The stairs leading to this floor is very twisty. The tower stands at the corner of a bawn, foundations of which remain. The castle was built by the MacHubert Burkes, and rebuilt by MacRedmond Burke about 1...

The ruins of 13th century tower house stand at the foot of the famed Knockma. It was built by the Hacketts, a Norman family who established themselves along the east side of Lough Corrib, having driven the O' Flahertys across the lake to Connemara. The Kirwans, one of the tribes of Galway settled there in the 15th century....

The ruins of a 13th century castle built by the de Burgos. The tower, which is three storeys high and has very thick walls, stands at the corner of a roughly square enclosure surrounded by a wall. The entrance to this enclosure is flanked by massive semicircular turrets....

A fine castle built by the O'Flahertys around 1500. It is a six-storey tower with a good fireplace on the 3rd storey and a vault over the 4th. The roof is a good modern reconstruction. There are two corner bartizans on the 3rd floor.

The castle is unusual in having two bawns. The inner one is well preserved along the riverside and has a rounded turret with a fine corbelled roof at the south-western corner. The outer bawn also has a turret at the south-western corner, and encloses t...

The Castle:

The first castle was built here by de Bermingham about 1225, but it was burned by the sons of the kings of Connacht in 1249, by Fichra O'Flynn in 1284 and by Rory O'Connor in 1315. The present castle was probably built after the last burning. It is a massive rectangular tower of four storeys situated on a motte with the remains of a fortifying wall around it.

The tower is bare inside, and the mullioned windows on the top floor suggest that it was partiall...

Glinsk Castle or fortified house is situated near the River Suck, 6.4km north-west of Creggs village. It is one of the finest examples in Ireland of architecture in transition from fortified castle to castellated house.

This castle was built in 1675 by Sir Ulick Burke, Third Baronet of Glinsk. It appears to have been built on the site of an earlier castle. The mosts outstanding of the architectural features are the two fine chimney stacks which lend the castle a sense of elegance....

A fine 16th century tower, built in two sections, situated among trees on a hillock. the tower has five storeys, with vaults over the ground floor and third storey, that on the ground floor preserving well-preserved traces of the wicker-work which kept the plaster in place. The north window on the top floor bears carvings of floral motifs. The two mullioned windows on the top floor bears carvings of floral motifs.

The two mullioned windows in the west wall on the first and second flo...

A landmark on the eastern shore of Lough Corrib for almost seven centuries, it was originally built in the 13th century by Adam Gaynard and occupied by the Gaynard family until the 17th century when George Staunton acquired the castle and the lands.

It remained in his family until 1946, when it became a ruin. Now restored to its former glory with 13th century materials, it is a rare example of a medieval hall house....