Croom Castle
Croom or Crom Castle, also called the Castle of Crom, is a historic castle in the town of
It is located on a strategic bend in the River Maigue, hence the name Cromadh, or "bend in the river".
O'Donovan fortress
The territory in which Croom lies was up until the period of the
Some O'Donovan oral traditions note that the O'Donovans of
An early account from around 1690 does not mention a builder of the castle by name:[6]
... the O'Donovans, a family of royal extraction amongst the Irish. They came hither from Coshma, in the County of Limerick, and built there the famous Castle of Crome, which, afterwards, falling to the Earl of Kildare, gave him his motto of "Crome aboo," still used on his skutcheon.
One branch of the O'Donovans and a remnant of the UI-Fidgheinte has been resident in Croom almost continuously for more than eight centuries, with their current farm being held for more than four centuries, but have not occupied the tower castle since the Earls of Kildare established their residence there.[citation needed]
It is believed that the tower castle was built in the early 13th century, following earlier attacks on the town. One such attack was noted in 1151, when a great predatory excursion was made by Ruaidhri, son of Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, into Thomond, and he carried away many cows, and burned Cromadh.[7]
Today, the castle is little more than a large, undistinguished ruin. Two walls of the tower remain standing, though both have collapsed to about half of their original height, with the other two walls of the tower collapsed into a very large pile of rocks and bricks.[citation needed]
Croom abú (ah-boo)
The motto of the Fitzgerald family is "Croom-a-boo", from Croom Abú, which is Irish for Croom forever!
Notes
- Annals of Innisfallen
- ^ Samuel Lewis, Topographical Description of Ireland, 1837 Archived 2011-01-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MacCotter, p. 185; Bugge, pp. 15, 73.
- ^ Irish Pedigrees: O'Donovan, Lords of Clancahill #114
- ^ O'Mahony, Canon John. "A History of the O'Mahony Septs of Kinelmeky and Ivagha (Part IV)". Journal of the Cork Archæological and Historical Society.
- ^ Cox, p. 147
- ^ Annals of the Four Masters, edited by John O'Donovan
References
- Begley, John. The Diocese of Limerick, Ancient and Medieval. Dublin: Browne & Nolan. 1906.
- Bugge, Alexander (ed. & tr.), Caithreim Cellachain Caisil. Christiania: J. Chr. Gundersens Bogtrykkeri. 1905.
- Sir Richard Cox, 1st Baronet, Carberiae Notitia. 1690. extracts published in Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society, Volume XII, Second Series. 1906. pp. 142–9
- Gibson, Charles Bernard. Historical Portraits of Irish Chieftains and Anglo-Norman Knights. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. 1871.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. London. 1837.
- MacCotter, Paul, Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2008.
- Mosley, Charles, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition, Volume 2. 2003.
- O'Donovan, John (ed. & tr.), Annala Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616. 7 vols. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. 1848-51. 2nd edition, 1856. Volume VI (Appendix, Pedigree of O'Donovan, p. 2437).
- O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees. Dublin: James Duffy and Co. 5th edition, 1892.
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