Ireland · 13th century
Kinlough Castle ranks #8,016 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #174 of the 178 mapped in Ireland. Founded c. 1250, it is older than 67% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 1091 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Galway, 26 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.
Kinlough Castle is a tower house and National Monument located in County Mayo, Ireland. Kinlough Church, part of the National monument, is nearby.
Kinlough Castle is located 3.2 km (2.0 mi) southwest of Shrule, on the west bank of the Black River.
The tower is thought to have been constructed in the 13th century AD, although the additional two storeys with corner fireplaces that were subsequently added to it, date from a 1574 remodelling by Sir John MacOliver Burke.
There are loops in the battered base, and the entrance has a drawbar slot.
The castle was mortgaged to the Blakes in 1629, and leased by them to John Darcy in 1668.
The present tower house was built in the 16th century. In a map of 1584 it is described as a "MacWilliam House". "The MacWilliam Eighter", who was then Sir John FitzOliver Burke, lived there in 1574. In 1618 Sir Richard FitzOliver Burke was the tenant and his son, Walter, mortgaged it to Sir Valentine Blake of Menlough, in 1628. Sir Thomas Blake leased it to John Darcy in 1668 and Pierce Joyce purchased the lands in 1852.
Kinlough Castle is four storeys high, with gables at the east and west walls, but no crenellations. There are traces of a bartizan in the west wall. There are also three chimney stacks.
Today it is a nesting site for the common swift (Apus apus).
Text adapted from “Kinlough Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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