Cloonbigny Castle

This is a castle of the Keoghs, probably dating from the 15th century, through Tadhg, son of Nicol Óg, grandson of Diarmuid Mór O'Kelly (O'Donovan 1843, 125-6). However, by 1585 Cloonbigny was owned by John Moore, a government official from Athlone, but its possessions may have been as extensive as the later estate of the Moores’ (Moore 1974-5; 1978, 61). It was owned by William Moore in 1640 and Col. Garrett Moore in the 1660s (Simington 1949, 105). It is situated on a slight rise in a low-lying landscape with lower ground to the E and S. The S corner of a tower house survives with a base-batter and copious cairn material, whose SE wall is abutted by the NW wall of the fortified house (RO050-019002-). The entrance was on the SE wall with a vaulted guard room to the NE and the destroyed newel stairs was in the S angle. The tower house is at the S angle of a bawn (RO050-019003-) (int. dims c. 31m NE-SW; c. 28m NW-SE) defined by wall foundations (Wth 0.9m) and a stone spread (Wth c. 2m; H 0.3m). A cairn (diam. 5m; max. H 1m) at the N angle is the remains of a circular mural tower (RO050-019004-), and there are the foundation of a gateway (RO050-019005-) (Wth of passage 3m; L 9m) straddling the centre of the NW wall. There are the foundations of a building (RO050-019006-) (int. dims c. 8m x c. 6m) against the inside of the NE bawn wall and of a building (RO050-019007-) (int. dims c. 10m x c. 4m) against the inside of the SW bawn wall. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010

Cloonbigny Castle was originally held by the Ó Kelly (O'Kelly) family, specifically the Keogh branch, in the 15th century, but by 1585 it was owned by John Moore, indicating shifting landholdings during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. The castle is remembered as an example of Gaelic lordship transitioning to English control in the late 16th century.