O'Briens Castle | |
---|---|
Native name Irish: Caisleán Uí Bhriain · Dún Formna | |
Furmina Castle, The Great Fort | |
| |
Type | tower house within ringfort |
Location |
Inisheer, County Galway, Ireland |
Coordinates | 53°03′43″N 9°31′09″W / 53.061999°N 9.519162°W |
Built | c. 1400 |
Owner | State |
Official name | Furmina Castle |
Reference no. | 41.07 |
O'Brien's Castle, also called Furmina Castle, is an early 15th century tower house and National Monument located on Inisheer, Ireland. [1] [2] [3] [4]
O'Brien's Castle is located at one of the island's highest points, in the north of Inisheer. [5]
A ringfort once stood on the site, named Dún Formna (" hillfort of the ridge/shoulder", referring to the "shoulder" of land) [6] and dated to between the 5th century BC and 1st century AD. [7] [8] [9]
The castle was built by the Clann Teige, a branch of the powerful O'Brien (Uí Briain) family, in the early 15th century around 1400. [10] It was taken by the Ó Flaithbheartaigh (O'Flahertys) around 1582. It was captured and slighted by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1652, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. [11]
The castle is a rectangular donjon (keep). The original doorway was into the first floor, accessed by an external wooden stairs.[ citation needed]
The entire first floor was a great hall, with mural stairs up to the parapet. The ground floor was a basement or storage area with three vaulted chambers. The corbel of a bartizan is visible with a human face carved into it. [12]
O'Briens Castle | |
---|---|
Native name Irish: Caisleán Uí Bhriain · Dún Formna | |
Furmina Castle, The Great Fort | |
| |
Type | tower house within ringfort |
Location |
Inisheer, County Galway, Ireland |
Coordinates | 53°03′43″N 9°31′09″W / 53.061999°N 9.519162°W |
Built | c. 1400 |
Owner | State |
Official name | Furmina Castle |
Reference no. | 41.07 |
O'Brien's Castle, also called Furmina Castle, is an early 15th century tower house and National Monument located on Inisheer, Ireland. [1] [2] [3] [4]
O'Brien's Castle is located at one of the island's highest points, in the north of Inisheer. [5]
A ringfort once stood on the site, named Dún Formna (" hillfort of the ridge/shoulder", referring to the "shoulder" of land) [6] and dated to between the 5th century BC and 1st century AD. [7] [8] [9]
The castle was built by the Clann Teige, a branch of the powerful O'Brien (Uí Briain) family, in the early 15th century around 1400. [10] It was taken by the Ó Flaithbheartaigh (O'Flahertys) around 1582. It was captured and slighted by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1652, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. [11]
The castle is a rectangular donjon (keep). The original doorway was into the first floor, accessed by an external wooden stairs.[ citation needed]
The entire first floor was a great hall, with mural stairs up to the parapet. The ground floor was a basement or storage area with three vaulted chambers. The corbel of a bartizan is visible with a human face carved into it. [12]