What is recorded here

Two castles in Burren, County Cork: one MacCarthy Reagh's, the other unnamed. Both vanished before anyone could measure a wall or mark a gate. The land keeps their absence steady, a clean hole where stone should be.

Two castles are shown in Burren townland on Down Survey (1655-6) map (1652). Smith (1750) mentions a castle of MacCarthy Reagh in Burren (Healy 1988, 234). No known trace of either building; exact locations not known. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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