Kildavnet Castle

Situated on bedrock on the shoreline, at the SE end of Achill Island, overlooking Achill Sound. Kildavnet Castle consists of a four storey tower house of late 15th-century date. It is rectangular in plan (6.93m WNW-ESE; 5.57m NNE-SSW), with base batter, and is constructed of roughly coarsed limestones, sandstones, granites and conglomorates (Wall T. 1.7m). The original entrance, now broken out, is at the W end of the N wall. Immediately inside are drawbar sockets. A straight flight of stairs in the thickness of the W wall gave access to the first floor, which was wooden and carried on corbels. Above this, is a stone-built, vaulted ceiling. An opening in this stone ceiling, accessed by a ladder, gave onto the second floor, where a short flight of stone stairs leads to the upper floors, which were wooden, and the battlements. The windows, with the exception of two round-headed slit windows in the upper floors, are plain rectangular windows. There is a gardrobe chute at W end of S wall. The battlements carry projecting machicolations on the S, W and N sides, but not on the E, seaward side. Remnants of a bawn wall (MA065-025001-), with angle tower, can be seen1.6m out from the walls of the tower house at WNW and NNE sides. The castle is traditionally associated with Grace O’Malley or Granuaile (c. 1530-1603), but the architectural detail suggests that it was built before her time, most likely by an O’Malley ancestor. This is a National Monument in State ownership (No. 458). Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 18 June 2018 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 185/1949).

Built in the late 15th century, Kildavnet Castle was likely constructed by a local Gaelic chieftain family of the Ó Cearnaigh (O'Keefe) clan, who held sway over parts of Achill Island. The castle is important as a well-preserved example of a late medieval tower house and as a testament to the defensive and social structures of west Mayo during the Gaelic period.