What is recorded here

Beallakerin castle appeared in the 1574 Galway list under Shane Oge Fitz John Burke, but no modern marker confirms whether it stood in Ballykeeran or nearby Athenry. That absence turns the castle into a boundary ghost, waiting for someone to walk the land and remember what the name still carries.

In the list of castles in Galway, compiled in 1574, is one at 'Beallakerin', in the barony of Athenry, then in the posession of 'Shane Oge Fitz John Burke' (Nolan 1901, 121). This is probably a variation of the td. name Ballykeeran, which although in the neighbouring barony of Loughrea, lies close to the boundary with Athenry barony. Not located. Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG Date of upload: 23 May 2017

Shane Oge Fitz John Burke held Castle Ballykeeran in the late 16th century, as recorded in 1574. It is remembered as part of the Burke family's extensive holdings in the Galway region during the Tudor period.

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