| Ballinalacken Castle | |
|---|---|
Baile na leachan | |
 Ballinalacken Castle in 2006 | |
  Location in Ireland | |
| General information | |
| Status | ruin |
| Type | tower house |
| Location | Killilagh parish |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°02′46″N9°20′14″W / 53.04615°N 9.33725°W Coordinates: 53°02′46″N9°20′14″W / 53.04615°N 9.33725°W |
Ballinalacken Castle is a two-stage tower house located in Killilagh parish of County Clare, Ireland. It is of uncertain date but most likely was built in the 15th or early 16th century.
The name probably derives from Baile na leachan (town of the flagstones/tombstones/stones) or Beal Áth na Leacha (ford-mouth of the flagstones). [1] :113–5
It is located in the region known as the Burren on a limestone outcrop overlooking the roads from Lisdoonvarna to Fanore and Doolin. Below the castle lies the intersection of R477 and R479 roads.
Given the prominent position, it is likely that the location was used for previous fortifications, but no traces of such are visible today. In the late 14th century, Lochlan MacCon O'Connor reportedly built a fortress at the site.
The current tower house resembles Leamaneh Castle in that it was constructed over a prolonged period. The oldest part is the tall eastern tower, likely built in the 15th century. In 1564 the O'Connors lost their territory and in 1584/5 the castle was formally ceded to Sir Turlough O'Brien. Following the 1641 rebellion and subsequent Cromwellian reorganization, Turlough's son Daniel petitioned the English Commission in 1654 to save the house from demolition. Either he or his son, Teigue, eventually built the expansion at Ballinalacken. Teigue's son in turn, Donough, styled himself "of Ballyneleackan". The house remained in the possession of the Ennistymon O'Briens until the middle of the 18th century, when it passed to a different branch of the family. The Ballinalacken O'Briens trace their descent from Turlough Don who died in 1528, and also from the Ennistymon branch of the O'Briens, which was founded by Sir Donald O'Brien of Dough Castle (Lahinch) who died in 1579. [2] In 1641-2 it was held by Daniel O'Brien of Dough and in 1654 a Cromwellian officer ordered the castles of Dough and Ballinalacken to be preserved from the dismantling of fortifications. In the 1667 Act of Settlement a Captain Hamilton became owner, but the O'Briens regained possession. The O'Briens were one of the most powerful families in Ireland at the time and built several castles - of which Ballinalacken is one. In 1837 its owner was planning to repair it. [3] [1] :113–5 [4] :15
The bow fronted bungalow-type Ballinalacken Castle Hotel was built in the 1840s as the home of Lord O'Brien. [5] It likely was built by John O'Brien MP (died 1855), eldest son of James and Margaret O'Brien. Being widowed in 1806, Margaret married Cornelius O'Brien. John was the father of Peter O'Brien. [6] The house features a marble fireplace carved from a single slab and a circular, centre-roof window. There are also some original stained-glass windows and an O'Brien stone crest. The residence became a guest house in 1938. [4] :16
The castle is surrounded by a bawn, entered through a corbelled, machicolated gate. The tower house itself seems to have been constructed in two sections, later connected. The narrower and one storey taller eastern wing has the doorway with a top machicolation. A porter's lodge faces the circular stairs from which three floors of bedrooms are accessed, lit by small windows. The top floor gives access to a wall walk. The main wing features a finely-carved Tudor chimney (dated 1641). Machicolations in this wing contain several musket holes. [4] :15–6
The Burren is a region of environmental interest primarily located in northwestern County Clare, Ireland, dominated by glaciated karst landscape. It measures, depending on the definition, between 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) and 560 square kilometres (220 sq mi). The name is most often applied to the area within the circle made by the villages of Tubber, Corofin, Kilfenora, Lisdoonvarna, and Ballyvaughan, and Kinvara in extreme south-western Galway, including the adjacent coastline.
Kilfenora is a village and a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated south of the karst limestone region known as the Burren. Since medieval times when it was the episcopal see of the Bishop of Kilfenora, it has been known as the "City of the Crosses" for its seven high crosses. The village had around 220 inhabitants in 2011. Much of the TV show Father Ted (1995–98) was filmed there.
Dromoland Castle is a castle, located near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland. It is operated as a 5-star luxury hotel with a golf course, with its restaurant, the Earl of Thomond, being awarded a Michelin star in 1995, under head chef Jean Baptiste Molinari.
Ennistymon or Ennistimon is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Ireland. The River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. A bridge across the river leads to nearby Lahinch, on the N67 national secondary road. The town is connected to Ennis by the N85, continuing the settlement's main street.
Liscannor is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland.
Doonagore Castle is a round 16th-century tower house with a small walled enclosure located about 1 km south of the coastal village of Doolin in County Clare, Ireland. Its name may be derived from Dún na Gabhair, meaning "the fort of the rounded hills" or the "fort of the goats". Doonagore Castle is at present a private holiday home, inaccessible to the public.
Corofin is a village on the River Fergus in northern County Clare in Ireland and a Catholic parish with the same name.
Kilshanny is a village and a civil parish in west County Clare, Ireland.
Leamaneh Castle is a ruined castle located in the townland of Leamaneh North, parish of Kilnaboy, between the villages of Corofin and Kilfenora at the border of the region known as the Burren in County Clare, Ireland. It consists of a 15th-century tower house and a 17th-century mansion.
Clare was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.
Gregans Castle is the name applied to both a 15th-century tower house and a Georgian-style house in the Burren region of County Clare, Ireland, near the village of Ballyvaughan. The latter dates from 1750 and is associated with the Martyn and O'Lochlainn families. The tower house is across the road from the modern house, which is now a hotel.
Ennistymon House was a former country house in the village of Ennistymon, County Clare in Ireland. Built on the elevated site of a medieval castle it has now been incorporated into the Falls Hotel.
Newtown Castle is a 16th-century tower house, located close to the village of Ballyvaughan within the Burren area of County Clare, Ireland. Uniquely for a tower house of its type in Ireland, Newtown Castle is mostly cylindrical in shape but rises from a square pyramidical base. It is today part of the Burren College of Art.
Dough Castle is a ruined tower house at Lahinch in County Clare, western Ireland. It was established by the O'Conors in the early 14th century, but nothing remains of the original structures.
Rathborney, sometimes Rathbourney, is a civil parish in the Barony of Burren in County Clare, Ireland.
Oughtmama is a civil parish in County Clare. It lies in the Burren, a region in the northwest of the county. It contains many antiquities, including three early-medieval Christian churches, ruined castles, prehistoric cairns and ring forts and two Martello Towers built in the early 19th century.
Killilagh or Killeilagh is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It contains the village of Doolin.
Gleninagh or Glaninagh is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It lies in the extreme northwest of the Burren, on the south of the mouth of Galway Bay. It is known for the well-preserved L-plan Gleninagh Castle, a 16th-century tower house. The parish also contains the lighthouse on Black Head.
Shanmuckinish Castle is a ruined tower house located in Drumcreehy civil parish of County Clare, Ireland.
Máire Rua O'Brien was an Irish aristocrat, and notorious figure in Irish legend for her violent and murderous actions.
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