Castlekirk
Castlekirk | |
---|---|
Native name Irish: Caisleán na Circe | |
Hen's Castle | |
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Type | tower house |
Location | Castlekirk Island, Lough Corrib, County Galway, Ireland |
Coordinates | 53°29′33″N 9°30′48″W / 53.492530°N 9.513332°W |
Built | before 1118 |
Owner | State |
Official name | Castlekirk Castle |
Reference no. | 245[1] |
Castlekirk, also called Hen's Castle, is a
Location
Castlekirk is located on a tiny island (0.18 ha or ½ acre) in the northwest corner of Lough Corrib, on the approach to Maum.[5]
History
The castle was built early in the 12th century by the sons of
The
Gráinne Ní Mháille in 1546, at the age of sixteen, married Dónal an-Chogaidh O'Flaherty who, because of his aggressive behaviour, got the nickname ‘the Cock’ and she was in turn was called ‘the Hen’. When Donal was murdered she fought back with fury and with such determination the castle became known as ‘Hen’s Castle’, the name it still bears.[citation needed]
It continued to be occupied as a castle until it finally succumbed to Cromwellian soldiers in 1654.[citation needed]
In the 19th century this ruin was vandalised and its stones were removed to build houses in the area.[6][7]
Legends
According to legend, the castle was built in a night by a cock and a hen. The
Lady Jane Wilde tells of the folklore associated with Hen's Castle. In her work published in 1888, "Speranza" wrote the following:
Strange lights are sometimes seen flitting through it, and on some particular midnight a crowd of boats gather round it, filled with men dressed in green with red sashes. And they row about till the cock crows, when they suddenly vanish and the cries of children are heard in the air. Then the people know that there has been a death somewhere in the region, and that the Sidhe have been stealing the young mortal children, and leaving some ill-favoured brat in the cradle in place of the true child.[8]
Description
The rocks slope abruptly into the water on all sides.
References
- ^ "National Monuments of County Galway in State Care" (PDF). heritageireland.ie. National Monument Service. p. 6. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Castle Kirk – Castle of the Hen ( Caislean na Circe)". 4 January 2014.
- ^ The Irish Penny Journal. Gunn and Cameron. 1 January 1841. p. 26 – via Internet Archive.
hen's castle.
- ISBN 9780717151745– via Google Books.
- ^ Hall, Mrs S. C. (1 January 1843). Ireland: Its Scenery, Character, &c. How and Parsons. p. 482 – via Internet Archive.
hen's castle.
- ^ "Caislean na Circe Lough Corrib Hens Castle Ireland Grace OMalley Grainne Mhaol Clonbur Co Galway Ireland".
- ^ "Castle Kirk - Castle of the Hen ( Caislean na Circe) - Topics - Oughterard Heritage".
- ^ Collins, A. "Castles".
External links
Media related to Castlekirk at Wikimedia Commons