What is recorded here

Castle belonged to the McCarthys of Gleannacroim and stood in Castletown until Cromwell's soldiers burned it and the town around in 1651. It is no longer visible, but the pasture on the SW-facing slope still holds the shape of what was lost. The McCarthys may have watched that fire from a distance, helpless against the size of the army. What remains is a place name, a burned castle, and the memory of a local household displaced by war.

In pasture on SW-facing slope. According to O'Donoghue (1986, 82) 'castle of the McCarthys of Gleannacroim'. Both castle and town around were burned by Cromwell's soldiers in 1651. No visible surface trace. 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

Built by the McCarthys of Gleannacroim, the castle was held in the 17th century and was destroyed in 1651 during Cromwell's campaign in Ireland. It is remembered as part of the local history of resistance and conflict in west Cork.

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