Dunguaire Castle
Dunguaire Castle ( Irish Caisleán Dhún Guaire ) is near Kinvara in the south of County Galway in Ireland . It takes its name from the ancient dun of King Guaire of Connacht , who died in AD 662. Guaire was known for his hospitality and generosity, which is told in the legend Bothar na Mias (Street of the dishes). The original dun is probably the earth wall with remains of walls on the headland west of the castle.
history
Dunguaire Castle was never a castle in the military sense, but a typical tower house of the 16th century. These tower houses were built by Irish gentlemen and lords between 1450 and 1650. The greatest concentration of such buildings is found in Counties Clare and Limerick, and south of County Galway.
The Dunguaire Tower House was built in 1520 by Guaire's descendants of the O'Hynes clan. It fell into the hands of one of the Martyns of Galway in the 17th century . Richard Martyn, who was mayor of Galway from 1607-1608, lived here until 1642. And his descendants, the Martyns of Tulira Castle, lived in the castle until the end of the century, when it fell into disrepair. In 1924 Dunguaire Castle was restored by Oliver St. John Gogarty , a surgeon who served James Joyce as a literary model for Buck Mulligan at Ulysses . Although Gogarty never lived there, he held literary colloquiums. In the vicinity of the castle (near Gort ) Lady Gregory (in Coole Park ) and William Butler Yeats (in the now restored tower house Thoor Ballylee , Túr Bhaile Uí Laoigh ) had their homes for a time. The castle was acquired in 1954 by Lady Ampthill who completed the restoration and sold it in 1972. It has been open to visitors since 1966 and serves as a venue for medieval banquets. In 1979, the castle formed the backdrop for the action film Sprengkommando Atlantik .
Web links
- Dunguaire Castle at dickemauern.de (German)
- Dunguaire Castle at shannonheritage.com (Engl.)
- Description Engl. + Pictures
Coordinates: 53 ° 8 ′ 32 " N , 8 ° 55 ′ 34" W.