Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Built by Rory, son of Shane, son of Mahon MacNamara. In 1570 it was owned by Turlough O'Brien, a younger brother of Conor, third Earl of Thomond. Conor was hanged in Galway after 1581, but his son Donagh became the fourth Earl, and Donagh made Formerla over to a Roland Delahoyde in 1585, which was renewed in 1613. In the 1640s Oliver Delahoyde was dispossessed and a John Carroll received Formerla. In 1659 Cnarlse and Donagh Carthy were tenants at Formerla an in the Moland survey of 1703 it is described as a castle out of repair, the remains of an old house, and an orchard and six cabins.

Situated at the highest point of a low hillock in a low-lying landscape, and overgrown. One section of the SW wall (L 2.5m NW-SE; H 2.9m; T 1.3m) contains part of an embrasure at the NW end. 4m to the NE are the grassed-covered remains of the NE wall are visible (L 6m), and a collapsed piece of masonry has traces of a window splay and a stepped embrasure of dressed stonework.

Compiled by: Leo Morahan and Michael Moore

See attached document with details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report).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.

Date of upload: 11 December 2014