Castle in Cloonburren

On the callows or flood-plain on the W bank of the River Shannon, about 30m from the river at a fording place (RO056-011003-) called Snamh dá Ean – Swim two birds - where an island narrows the river channel (Wth c. 90m). This was a recognised point on the boundary of Uí Maine (O'Donovan 1843, 5). It is said to be where a rígdál or royal conference took place in 997 AD between the High King Méal Sechlainn of Meath and Brian Boru, king of Munster, ensuring their co-operation in the following years (Grenham 2000). The road extending W from the River Shannon through Cloonburren is marked on the Strafford map of c. 1636. The castle is not mentioned but over 500 profitable acres there were owned jointly by the Bishops of Meath and Clonfert in 1641, but the land had reverted to the Bishop of Meath by the 1660s. (Simington 1949, 64, Moycarn) The castle is a grass-covered mound of masonry rubble (dims of top 12.5m N-S; 10.3m E-W; dims of base c. 20m N-S; c. 15m E-W; H 0.5-1.8m), known locally as the Castle Acre. A fragment of a graveslab (Wth c. 0.43m; L c. 0.38m; T c. 0.07m) which is broken off at one end was found here before 1955 and is now in NMI. It is incised with a cross that has circular terminals, circles at the crux, and fluer-de-lis in the angles.

On the callows or flood-plain on the W bank of the River Shannon, about 30m from the river at a fording place (RO056-011003-) called Snamh dá Ean – Swim two birds - where an island narrows the river channel (Wth c. 90m). This was a recognised point on the boundary of Uí Maine (O'Donovan 1843, 5). It is said to be where a rígdál or royal conference took place in 997 AD between the High King Méal Sechlainn of Meath…