Aughnanure Castle
Aughanure Castle ( Irish Caisleán Achadh na nIúr ) is located about three kilometers from Oughterard near the banks of Lough Corrib (lake) in County Galway in the province of Connacht in Ireland . The name, which comes from Irish, means in German: Eibenfeld . It is an Irish national monument .
The attachment
The castle is one of the best-preserved examples of what is known as an “ Irish tower house ”. It stands on a flat ledge. There are remarkable caves under the rock . The floor plan of the tower house is almost square with a spur on the northwest corner, where the Drimneen river forms an obstacle to access. Two segments of the outer wall still exist, the older one being enclosed by a younger, much larger one.
The tower house
In the courtyard near the tower stands the six-story, rectangular tower house near the river. Its two flank towers reach medium height. The walls taper upwards and the parapet , to which the cast bay windows are attached, is provided with battlements . The entrance to the tower can be defended inside by a so-called "killer hole" in the ceiling. Behind the door there is a guard room on the right and a stone spiral staircase to the left to the upper rooms. The ground floor was used as a storage room. The upper floors are divided into living rooms and bedrooms. The floor with the large fireplace and split windows served as the living room.
The outdoor area
The remains of a banquet hall stand along the west side of the wall. The hall was destroyed when the natural vault over the river collapsed. Only one wall with a row of windows remained. The frames are decorated with foliage motifs and other ornaments that are reminiscent of ornate Irish manuscripts and show the importance of the building. In the inner courtyard there is also a small round tower with a carefully crafted corbel ceiling and a conical stone roof (in the foreground). There is another flank tower at the east end of the outer wall.
- Aughnanure Castle
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history
The predecessor of the castle was probably built by the Norman Walter de Burgo , the first Count of Ulster , who took possession of the area around Lough Corrib in 1256. The expulsion of the local clan, the O'Flahertys, was short-lived. At the end of the 13th century they became masters of West Connacht for three centuries. The castle and its predecessor were in their possession between the 14th and 16th centuries.
The legendary pirate "Granuaile", real name Grace O'Malley , married "Donal an Chogaidh" O'Flaherty in 1546, at the age of 16, creating a connection between the two most powerful seafaring clans in Western Ireland. In the middle of the 16th century the English became aware of "Morogh na-dtuath" (Morrough of the battle axes) an O'Flaherty who was robbing the English possessions near Lough Corrib . In 1564 he defeated the English troops sent against him in Trabane (white beach). In 1569 he was granted general pardon, and Elizabeth I (1533-1603) made him, although he came from a branch line of the O'Flahertys, lord of West Connacht. In return, he undertook to keep the "Queen's Peace". The rightful title contenders for the O'Flahertys were enraged by his betrayal. With the sons of the Earl of Clanrickard they planned a rebellion against the "Cailleach Granda", as they called the Queen. Morogh found out about the plans and passed them on to "Sir Edward Fitton", who set out with all available men and cannons and besieged Aughnanure, which was held by the rightful chief of the O'Flahertys. After taking the castle, he turned it over to Morogh, who strengthened it and made it his headquarters.
After the inheritance of Aughnanure was given by the Crown to the Earl of Clanickard, he leased the land to Brian O'Flaherty in 1687. In 1719 the count sold the basic rights to Brian. He had borrowed the money from Lord St. George, and when the mortgage fell he owned much of the land. In 1952, Peter O'Flaherty turned the castle over to the Public Works Commission for a state monument. In 1963, the repair work began. Among other things, parapets and chimneys were secured, a parking lot and today's access to the castle were created.
anecdote
The people of Galway were so afraid of the O'Flahertys that they are said to have carved the slogan above the west gate to the city: "God save us from the wild O'Flahertys!"
See also
literature
- Peter Harbison : Guide to the National Monuments in the Republic of Ireland Gill and Macmillan, Dublin 1970 ISBN 0-7171-0275-0 p. 87
- Wolfgang Metternich: Art monuments in Ireland . Darmstadt 2003: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, pp. 128–130. ISBN 3-534-14909-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pronunciation of place names at: logainm.ie ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 53 ° 25 ′ 3.7 ″ N , 9 ° 16 ′ 16.3 ″ W.