Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

The precise location of two castles (LI014-104----) in the townland of Greenane, parish of Caherconlish has not been identified. Westropp (1906-7, 94-5) recorded the following details about Greenane Castles; 'Two castles marked. 1540 Shane Burke gave the half seisreach of da Grianán to MacClanchy of Urlann, County Clare (Rental). 1557 F. f. Donnell f. Glangie, of Grenan, got English Liberty for 6s. 8d. (Fi. 1903). 1583 W. Burke held Grenane "duo castell" (Des. R. 37). 1604 Theo. Baron Bourgh of Castleconnell was granted half the C[astle]. of Grenan leghtragh, estate of Don. mac Clanchie (Pat. R.). 1608 He was confirmed in C[astle]. of Griananbeg (Ib.). 1624 Sir W. Parsons was granted Grenan Oughteragh, estate of Owen and Don. Clansy (lb.). Livery granted to Tho. Clancy, and pardon for alienation of C[astle], and bawn of last (Ib.). 1651-4 There was a Cromwellian garrison at Greenane (Acct. R.,7 b). 1655 Lord Brittas held both C[astle].s of Grenane Ighteragh and Huaghtragh (C.S., xxi., pp. 11, 12; D.S.A., 14-18; B.D., p. 129), and Owen, John, Charles, and Simon Clanchy joined him in conveying same to A. Ingram (B.D p. 129). 1666 Confirmed to last (Act. Sett.). 1669 Granted to Duke of York. 1703 Sold to Hollow Blades Company'.
The two castles are depicted as tower house like structures annotated 'Both the Grenans' on the 17th century Down Survey map of Clanwilliam Barony (Hib. Reg.). Two tower house castles are depicted on the 17th century Down Survey map of Caherconlish parish (NLI MS. 718). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Lord of Brittas was the owner of lands in Grenane Ightragh which contained a 'Castle' (Simington 1938, 65). The two castles are shown standing in the centre of the townland to the E of glebe land which is depicted on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch OSi map.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 2 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.

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.

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.

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.