Knappogue Castle

Knappogue Castle (Irish: Caisleán na Cnapóige) is a tower house, built in 1467 and expanded in the mid-19th century, located in the parish of Quin, County Clare, Ireland. It has been restored and is open to guided tours.

The original castle was built in 1467 by Seán Mac Conmara (anglicised as MacNamara), son of Síoda Mac Conmara, and is a good example of a late medieval tower house. The castle's name translates as "castle of the place abounding in little hills".

In 1571, the castle became the seat of the MacNamara (Mac Conmara) sept, the Earls of West Clancullen. Donnchadh Mac Conmara was a leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and Knappogue remained in MacNamara hands throughout the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s. After the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–53) it was confiscated in accord with the Adventurers' Act and its new owner was a roundhead, Arthur Smith.

Arthur Smith occupied the castle from 1659 to 1661. After the monarchy was restored in 1660, Knappogue was returned to its MacNamara owners. Eventually, Francis MacNamara, High Sheriff of Clare in 1789, sold the castle to the Scott family of Cahircon in 1800; the latter carried out major restoration and extension work. In 1837, the castle was owned by William Scott.

In 1855, the castle was acquired by Theobold Fitzwalter Butler, 14th Baron Dunboyne. It became the family seat of the Dunboyne family. They continued the restoration work of the Scotts, adding a drawing-room, the long room and a west wing, including the clock tower and the gateway. The remodelling was done by architects James Pain and his brother George Richard Pain.

During the War of Independence (1919–21), Clare County Council held their meetings at Knappogue Castle where they were guarded by the East Clare Flying Column. Michael Brennan, Commander of the East Clare Brigade also used the castle as his headquarters during that time.

In 1927, Knappogue demesne was purchased by the Irish Land Commission and the castle became the possession of the Quinn family. The castle and lands were then purchased in 1966 by Mark Edwin Andrews, former Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy, from Houston, Texas.

Text adapted from “Knappogue Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Knappogue Castle ranks #3,992 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #63 of the 173 mapped in Ireland. Founded 1467, it is older than 48% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 454 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. 9 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Limerick, 20 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗