Castle in Cloonmacduff, County Sligo

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In level pasture, c. 60m SE of the confluence of the Ballysadare and Arrow or Unshin Rivers. The only visible remains are a short length of sod-covered foundation (L c. 4m; Wth c. 1.5m; H c. 0.6m) and two sod-covered mounds of rubble. According to O'Rorke (1878, 52-4), this is the remains of a MacDonagh castle erected in 1408, possibly on the site of a castle erected in 1124 by 'the Connaughtmen' to guard Connacht against attack from Ulster (McGarry 1980, 5). O'Rorke (1878, 52-4) states that much of the castle was 'pulled down and carted away to build Lord Bellamont's mansion in Collooney' (SL020-240----). Sufficient walls, however, remained to be converted into a ball-alley in the 19th century though these were 'thrown down and used as material' for a nearby bridge over the Arrow or Unshin River, a short distance to the N (ibid.).

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record SL020-207

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Photo credits

National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Maker not stated on source page, www.dreamstime.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.pinterest.com
GTD Aquitaine, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Willow, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5
Zxcode / Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org

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