What is recorded here

Athleague is the vanished bawn where the River Suck bends west, marked only by water memory and the loss of O'Kelly stone. Burke forces destroyed it in 1487, took it again in 1499, and later leaseholders kept a name after the building had gone. The river still passes the place where human walls stopped resisting time.

On the E bank of a NE-SW section of the River Suck, at a point where the river turns W. An O'Kelly castle, probably a tower house, was extant here in the late 15th century. What is canned a bawn at Athliag Maenagan in Hy Many was destroyed by Ulick Mac William Burke in 1487 (AFM vol. 4, 1153), and in 1499 the castle (RO041-048001-), of which nothing remains, was captured by William Burke and returned to the sons of William Kelly (ibid. 1251-3). By the 1570s Sir Thomas le Strange was leasing it from the Queen, which a ward of his still held in 1596, although the castle was destroyed by then (Cronin 1980, 110,117). In 1640 Athleague was owned by the earl of Clanrickard (Simington 1949, 103), and one of the earls probably built the fortified house (RO041-048005-). There is no evidence of the bawn. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010

Athleague Castle was built by the O'Kellys, a prominent Gaelic Irish family, in the late 15th century. It is remembered as a strategic stronghold in the region and as an example of late medieval tower house architecture in Ireland.

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.