Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - tower house
Lisdoonvarna, County Clare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Lisdoonvarna
- County
- Clare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Site of Lisdoonvarna Castle
- Latest-edition OS map
- Lisdoonvarna Castle (Site of) (1916)
- Coordinates
- 53.03600, -9.26627
- SMR number
- CL008-050001-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
In rough pastureland on the level floor of a valley, with views to E and W and ground rising to N and S. Situated immediately NW of the site of a medieval house (CL008-050002-) and a large bawn (CL008-050003-). Labelled 'Site of Lisdoonvarna Castle' on the 1842 ed. of the OS 6-inch map. Built in 1619 by Denis Cloche (Clohessy?) for owner Fineen Fitzpatrick (as commemorated in a plaque (CL015-143----) which was removed in the 20th century and is currently displayed in a wall on Bogbere Street, Ennistymon) (Ua Cróinín and Breen 1997). After the Irish rebellion of 1641 the castle and other lands were taken from Fitzpatrick and distributed among several parties. By 1665 the castle was occupied and claimed by the O'Briens, but then leased: in 1679 it was occupied by the Creaghs and in 1699 by one Doctor Sarsfield. In 1717 the O'Davorens were living here and appear to have taken ownership. However, the last person to live at the castle was supposedly Donough O'Davoren, who died in c. 1750 (Comber 1997, 70; Ua Cróinín and Breen 1997). At some point before or after this time another residence (CL008-050002-) was built within the castle bawn, immediately to the SE of the castle. Westropp (1915, 48) did not record any elements of the castle. No remains are visible at ground level.
The following item has been uploaded:
CL008-050001-_01.pdf Details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report). Uploaded courtesy of R. Ua Cróinín and M. Breen.
Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Conn Herriott
Date of upload: 20 December 2022
References
Westropp, T.J. 1915 Prehistoric remains (forts and dolmens) in Burren and its south western border, Co. Clare. Part 12: North Western Part. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 5, 45-62, 249-74.
Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.
Ua Cróinín, R. and Breen, M. 1997 The castles and tower-houses of Co. Clare, 6 vols. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Dublin.
Nearby in the register
- Inscribed stoneunder 1 mi
- House - medievalunder 1 mi
- Bawnunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - cashelunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.