Garbally Castle (in ruins)

In low-lying undulating pastureland with a small stream to SW. In existence before 1504 when OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 236-7, 243) note that 'Mac William De Burgo' destroyed the O'Kelly castles in Monivea, Gallagh (Nos. GA071-064001-, GA060-081001-) and Garbally. What survives is NE half of a rectangular three-storey tower (L >8.3m, Wth 9m) in fair condition. The NE wall and the adjoining sections of NW and SE walls still stand to base of parapets. A handball alley abuts the outer face of NE wall. The original pointed arch doorway, defended by a gun loop in S jamb, is at E end of SE wall. It is framed by an outer arch between which and the doorway proper is a narrow slit resembling a murder-hole. This doorway opens into a small lobby with a conventional murder-hole above. From S side of the lobby, an intramural stairs (now broken) rises to the 1st floor. There was a stone vault between 1st/2nd floors, both of which are now inaccessible. In NW wall, a mural passage is visible on 1st floor and a mural chamber on 2nd floor. Corbels which supported machicolations survive on top of NE and SE walls. The surviving windows comprise simple slits as well as single and two lights with ogee heads. (Claffey 1983, 152-3) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

Garbally Castle was likely built by the O'Kellys, a prominent Gaelic Irish family, and was destroyed before 1504 by Mac William De Burgo, reflecting the turbulent conflicts between Gaelic and Anglo-Norman factions in medieval Ireland. Its remains are important as a historical marker of these regional power struggles.