Discover Alone, back to main map

Castle Mael (in ruins)

Castle, unclassified
Castle Mael (in ruins)
Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Castle Mael vanished beneath reclaimed pasture, erasing the rocky boundary that once defined its reach. O’Loughlin held it in 1574, Turlough O’Brien received it in 1584, and Hogans occupied it during the storm of 1641. William O’Brien mortgaged the shell to Donough O’Brien in 1706, yet nobody recorded who slept inside. The land smoothed the castle into grass, preserving the shape of ownership while deleting the people who breathed within it.
On low-lying level improved pastureland. The castle originally stood surrounded by poor rocky land which has since been reclaimed. Indicated and named ‘Castle Mael (in ruins)’ on the 1842 and 1915 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. The castle is recorded as being in O’Loughlin possession in 1574 and as being conveyed to Turlough O’Brien in 1584 (Ua Cróinín and Breen 2014). In 1641 the Hogans were in residence and in 1664 Redmond Magner, both as tenants of the Earl of Inchiquin (ibid.). In 1706, the then Earl William O’Brien mortgaged it to Sir Donough O’Brien of Dromoland and in 1711 it appeared in a list of his land, but the occupiers were not noted. By 1839 it was in ruins (ibid.). Not visible at ground level. The following item has been attached: Details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report). Uploaded courtesy of R. Ua Cróinín and M. Breen. Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin Date of upload: 28 April 2021

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What survives
Recorded monument

Places near here

Add to this placeAdd a picture Comment or add a tip

Explore 1,118,481 places

Other information

Photo: Credit not shown in the picture search · Rights wording not checked; contact us if this picture should be removed