Castle Island

Castle Island is a small islet in County Mayo where the ruins of a medieval fortress still stand beside Lough Conn. The MacDonnells likely built the castle in the 13th or 14th century to control movement across the lake, and the Bourkes later took it over. The island could be reached by boat or, when the water dropped, by a narrow causeway, giving its defenders a natural advantage. Today ivy and moss climb the weathered stone while the Nephin Mountains rise beyond the lake, unchanged since the castle first watched the water.