What is recorded here
Ballinsnave Castle rose as a four-storey tower in County Galway, built by one of the de Burgos of Connaught. It stood until 1651, when Sir Charles Coote took Galway and the castle submitted before being dismantled. What remains is a ruined shadow of that tall house, stripped of purpose but still marked by the violence that ended it.
Grose (1791, vol. 2, 94) notes that 'Ballinsnave Castle' was built by one of the 'de Burgos' of 'Connaught'. In 1651 when Galway fell following the siege by Sir Charles Coote, Ballinsnave submitted and was dismantled as were other castles. The accompanying illustration (ibid., Pl. 17) showing the ruined remains indicate that this was a tower house at least four storeys in height.
Compiled by: Olive Alcock
Date of upload: 6 December 2017
Ballinsnave Castle was built by the de Burgo family of Connacht in the medieval period and was dismantled in 1651 after submitting during the siege of Galway by Sir Charles Coote. It is remembered as part of the historical landscape of resistance and conflict in 17th-century Ireland.
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- What survives
- Recorded monument