Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in the centre of Leitrim village c. 30m from the N bank of the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell canal, which at this point is a canalised stream, and c. 400m from its junction with the River Shannon. The castle, undoubtedly a tower house, was originally a MacRaghnall stronghold with references in 1491 and 1499 (McDermott 2019, 116-18), but by 1540 it was in the hands of Brian Ballach O'Rourke (AFM), probably to intimidate the MacRaghnall and other families of Muintir Eolis and to harass his enemy of the moment, Mac Dermot of Moylurg. The castle was destroyed in 1580 by Brian of the Ramparts O'Rourke to prevent it falling to Sir Nicholas Malby. Sir Nicholas rebuilt and garrisoned it, but the castle was immediately besieged by O'Rourke and abandoned by its garrison shortly afterwards (AFM).
In January 1603, after the defeat of Kinsale, Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare arrived at Leitrim castle with only thirty five from the thousand or so followers with whom he had started the long march from Dunboy, Co. Cork. Brian Óg O'Rourke, who was the last leader to remain in rebellion, was finally besieged at Leitrim castle. In April Brian Óg fled to Rosa-Iarla friary (GA041-047----) near Lough Corrib, where he died in January 1604 (Mac an Ghalloglaigh 1971, 238). A length of mortared uncoursed limestone masonry (L 13m; H 2.8m; T 0.8m) survives with two small openings (dims 0.3m x 0.25m) which may be part of the bawn wall. Archaeological testing (04E0160) of an extensive area just to the NE produced no related material (Read 2007). (McParlan 1802, 103-4; Lewis vol. 1, 837, vol. 2, 256; O'Flanagan 1929, 105-6; Herity 2012, 402)

See the attached view from the Down Survey barony map (N at left) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland (Ms 717).

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of revised upload: 6 March 2017

References

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

McParlan, M.D. 1802 Statistical survey of the county Leitrim. Dublin.

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

Read, C. 2007 Leitrim Village: no archaeological significance. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 2004: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 234, No. 960. Dublin, Wordwell

McDermott, J. J. 2019 Late medieval strongholds of the Gaelic Irish in County Leitrim. in In Kelly, L. and Scott, B. Leitrim: History and Society, 103-27. Dublin, Geography Publications

Herity, M. (ed.) 2012 Ordnance Survey Letters: Londonderry, Fermanagh, Armagh-Monaghan, Louth, Cavan-Leitrim. Dublin, Fourmasters Press

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1929 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Leitrim collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1836. Bray.