Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

In 1840 the site of Greenan Castle was described as 'Greenan Castle, of which there is nothing to be seen at present, stood on a small hill, about 5 chains [100m] in diameter, and about 50 feet [15m] high from the level of the road' (OSNB Inch St. Lawrence Parish, 814).
Westropp (1906-07, 88) recorded the following details about Greenan Castle or Grenanbeg; '1242 Named as the manor of Tristellaueran (C.S.P.I.). 1272-74 Walter de Burgo held it with Castr' konyng (Pipe R., 1 and 3). 1309 Fine of Ric. de Burgo, Earl of Ulster, on manors of Esclon and Tristellauerans. 1327 W. Burke, his cousin and heir, got living of same. 1410 Emon, second son of Walter Duff Burk, was, by his father's disposition, given the four seisreachs of Disert Labrais, and the four of Garran ui chiabaigh in Aes-tri-muighe'(Rental). 1558 Tho, mac Ric. Bourke held Dysardelowrowe in Clynelyum (Fi. 274). 1583 Perhaps C[astle]. and vill of Inshe (Des. R,, 8). 1641 Theo. Lord Brittas settled it on his mother, Margaret, widow of John Baron of Brittas, the C[atle]. of Grenanbeg with Knockruo and Enishenlawrence, Knocktanacastlane C[astle], Dunemona C[astle], Rathjordan and Castle Troy (C.S.P.I., 1660-62). 1655 Inshenlawrence held by Cormock Heyne (D.S.A., 13 ; C.S., xxi., p. 30). 1703 Sold as estate of Lord Brittas to the Hollow Blades Company'. Greenan Castle depicted standing on a hill on the 17th century Down Survey map of Clanwilliam Barony (Hib. Reg.). Tower House like castle depicted on the parish map of Inch St. Lawrence (NLI MS. 718) The terrier of the Down Survey map of Inch St. Lawrence recorded that 'There standes a Castle on the Lande of Insenlawrence' which belonged to Theobald Lord Brittas (NLI Ms. 718). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Theobald Lord Borke Baron of Brittas was the owner of 'a smale Castle in reparation and a marbell quarrie' (Simington 1938, 78).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 1 December 2020

References

Westropp, T.J. 1906-7 The ancient castles of the county of Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 26, 54-264.

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1938 The civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IV: county of Limerick, with a section of Clanmaurice barony Co. Kerry. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Hibernia Regnum: A set of 214 barony maps of Ireland dating to the period AD 1655-59. The original parish maps have been lost but the Hibernia Regnum maps are preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Goblet 1932, v-x). Photographic facsimiles of these maps were published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton in 1908.

NLI, MS 718 - National Library of Ireland, Parish maps with terriers, showing forfeited lands in County Limerick, commonly known as the "Down Survey", executed under the direction of Sir William Petty, 1657, and copied by Daniel O'Brien, 1786.