Ballinafad Castle

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Ballianfad Castle
The ruins of Ballinafad Castle

The ruins of Ballinafad Castle

Alternative name (s): Castle of the Curlews
Caisleán at Chorrshléibhe
Creation time : Early 1590s
Castle type : Niederungsburg
Conservation status: ruin
Standing position : Irish nobility
Construction: Quarry stone
Place: Ballinafad
Geographical location 54 ° 1 '33.6 "  N , 8 ° 20' 8.8"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 1 '33.6 "  N , 8 ° 20' 8.8"  W.
Height: 67  m ASLTemplate: height / unknown reference
Ballinafad Castle (Ireland)
Ballinafad Castle

Ballinafad Castle (also Castle of the Curlews , Irish Caisleán to Chorrshléibhe ) is the ruin of a lowland castle in the village of Ballinafad (Irish Béal an Átha Fada ) in Irish County Sligo . It is located east of the N4 over Lough Arrow .

Description and history

The castle is an Elizabethan log cabin built by Captain John St. Barbe at the beginning of the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) on land he had received from the Anglo-Scottish King James I to protect the road through the Curlew Monutains . Ballinafad Castle was three stories high and all of the towers except the north tower contained rooms with a square floor plan. A wooden spiral staircase was built into the round north tower that led to the roof. The entrance to the castle was in the northwest wall on the 1st floor.

The castle was occupied by a garrison of 10 men who were commanded by John St. Barbe until his death in 1628. In 1595 it was partially destroyed by the troops of Hugh Roe O'Donnell . Ballinafad Castle was looted again in 1642 and finally abandoned around 1680.

access

The castle ruins can be visited free of charge all year round, but only from the outside: Entry is not possible, but you can see the inside through holes in the walls.

Visitors can park in a small parking lot at the foot of the hill on which the castle ruins stand. A sign shows the way up through a small iron gate.

Web links and sources