Castle Map

Castle

McDermott's Castle

Ireland · 16th century

Founded
c. 1550
Location
County Roscommon
Coordinates
53.98946°, -8.23259°
Links
Wikimedia Commons
Open on the map →Wikipedia ↗
McDermott's Castle in Ireland
Photo: Carlo Cretaro from Ireland · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Description

McDermott's Castle is a castle and protected national monument located in County Roscommon, Ireland. The site of a fortification since at least the 13th century, the structure's tower house may date from the 16th century, with much of the current building (including its crenellations) dating to the 19th century.

McDermott's Castle is located on Castle Island, an island of 0.23 hectares (0.57 acres) in the southeast corner of Lough Key.

The Mac Diarmada were the ruling dynasty of Magh Luirg (Moylurg; northeast Connacht) from the 10th to 16th centuries. A castle stood on this island from the 12th century: in 1184, the Annals of Loch Cé report that a lightning bolt caused a fire:

The Rock of Loch-Cé was burned by lightning, i.e. the very magnificent, kingly residence of the descendents of Máel Ruanaid where neither goods nor people of all that were there found protection; where six score, or seven score, of distinguished persons were destroyed, along with fifteen men of the race of kings and chieftains, with the wife of Mac Diarmada, i.e. the daughter of Ó hEidhin, and his son's wife, i.e. the daughter of Domhnall O'Conchobhair, and the daughter of Ó Dubhda, and the son of DonnchadhO'Maelbhrenuinn, and the son of Donn O'Mannachain,and the two daughters of O'Mannachain, and Mac Maenaigh, chieftain of Cenél-Builg, and the priest O'Maelbealtaine, and Gillachiarain Ó Connachtain, (i.e. a son of chastity and lamp of piety), and a countless destruction besides of good men; and every one of them who was not burned was drowned in this tumultuous consternation,in the entrance of the place; so that there escaped not alive therefrom but Conchobar mac Diarmata with a very small number of the multitude of his people.

A rebuilt castle featured in the final part of the 1235 conquest of Connacht by Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Baron of Connaught. The castle came under siege, first by a raft-mounted catapult, and then by fire ships. Cormac MacDermott, King of Moylurg, was forced to surrender.

A poem addressed to Tomaltach an Einigh mac Diarmata (King of Moylurg 1421–58) tells the story of the Hag of Lough Key who used (or abused) Cormac MacDermott's (king 1218–44) hospitality by staying on the Rock for a full year, and laid upon the McDermotts the obligation of perpetual hospitality.

Text adapted from “McDermott's Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the rankings

McDermott's Castle ranks #5,550 of 9,902 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #90 of the 186 mapped in Ireland. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 37% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 933 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,373 times in the last 60 days, more than 64% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Galway, 96 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.

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