A Survey of Monuments of Archaeological and Historical Interest in the Barony of Bunratty Lower, Co. Clare: Part 4: Castles and tower houses c.1500: Chapter 43: Kilnasoolagh Parish: Ballygirreen Castle (?) (Site of)

Clare County Library

Clare Archaeology

A Survey of Monuments of Archaeological and Historical Interest in the Barony of Bunratty Lower, Co. Clare by William Gerrard Ryan

Part 4: Castles and tower houses c.1500
Chapter 43: Kilnasoolagh Parish

BALLYGIRREEN CASTLE (?) (Site of)

Nat. Grid Ref. R374687; ½” Sheet 17

R.C. Parish :	Newmarket-on-Fergus
Townland :	Ballygirreen
6” O.S. Sheet number :	42 (Co. Clare)
Reference :	19.0 cm West; 9.5 cm South
Height (G.L.) :	50’ O.D.
1” O.S. Sheet number :	133 (Sixmilebridge)

An examination of the Co. Clare 6” O.S. Sheet number 42 will show: “Castle (site of)” in the south-east part of Ballygirreen townland.

Field examination failed to find any actual trace of it. In fact locals, who had farmed the area for decades, never heard elderly people refer to a castle-site in that particular area. Examination of: a) Curry and O’Donovan, 1839 b) Frost, 1893 and c) Westropp, 1899 failed to find any references to such a site. It does not even appear in the College List.

However the fact that it is represented on all editions of the 6” O.S. Sheets, since 1839, does suggest that the early cartographers may have had information not now available to us. For this reason alone I include it in this section.

Main