What is recorded here

Bolane Castle stands as a tall limestone peel tower on a low rock above the Maigue valley, its SW corner still rising four storeys despite the loss of its east wall. Built in the later fifteenth century for the FitzGerald line, it changed hands among Shanes, Carters and Parsons before William FitzGerald held it until 1655. The surviving vaults, angle-slits and slight battlement turret suggest a bold defensive home where families lived, argued and watched the Clare horizon through narrow loops.

Westropp (1906-07, 161-2) recorded the following details about Bolane Castle; 'W. Shane, mac Ric. mac W., held Beolane C[astle]. in Ardchanhe (Des. R., 33b). 1591 Grant to W. Carter. 1624 To Sir W. Parsons (Pat. R.). 1625 Edm. FitzGerald died seised of it; his son William succeeded (Inq. Chan., 10), and held the C[astle]. in 1655 (C.S., p. 13). Fabric - A tall peel tower, one side in good preservation for its full height; the opposite side with the doorway, having a staircase to the left, is levelled. It has two vaults and an upper room; the masonry and features are good, of well-cut limestone, and date from the later fifteenth century. The usual ambreys and angle-slits occur; also a slight turret at the battlement. It stands on a low rock over looking the Maigue valley and northward into Clare. It is traditionally a FitzGerald tower'. Castle classified by Donnelly (1999, 22, 37) as Type 5 that was characterised by tower houses 'which exhibited rectangular floor plans each of which is unique to an individual site, though each building had architectural features which placed them firmly within the Irish Gothic tower house tradition'. Bolane Castle described by Salter (2004, 66) as follows; 'This castle on a commanding rock was held by the Shanes in 1583 but in 1591 was granted to the Carters. It was held by William FitzGerald from 1625 until 1655. The SW corner of a tower 9.2m by 7.8m still stands four storeys high. The lowest level is vaulted and has a gunloop opening off the embrasure of the southerly of two loops in the west wall. Not much remains of the east wall which contained small chambers over a flight of steps leading from the entrance to a spiral staircase in the NW corner'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 19 November 2020

Bolane Castle was held by W. Shane, mac Ric. mac W., in the late 16th century and later passed through grants to W. Carter in 1591 and Sir W. Parsons in 1624. The castle is remembered for its documented transitions of ownership during the early modern period in Ireland.

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