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Twigge states the castle was built by Sean and his son Donnchad Mac Conmara of Magh na Neamhan. The 1570 list refers to it as 'Ballymaslen' and the occupier at that time as William Neylon while in 1574 it is called Castletown Nevenanagh. The MacNamara`s regained control of the castle sometime after 1600 but John Og MacNamara lost it after the 1641 Rebellion when it was granted to Sir Oliver Bourke and Gibbon Fitzmaurice Fitzgibbon, both transplanters. In 1661 Dr. John Neylon was the tennent, and around 1712 the castle was leased back to James MacNamara and this family continued to live here until about 1740.
Situated on a rocky hillock overlooking Castletown Lough, c. 100m to the E. Rectangular grass-covered area (dims. 7m E-W; 6m N-S) defined by stone spreads at N (L 4m; Wth 4m; H 1m) and S (L 7m; Wth 2m; H 0.4m). Part of the W wall (L 6m N-S; H 3m; T 1.6m) with a window (Wth 0.85m; H 1.03m) in a splayed embrasure survives. The remains are surrounded by a cairn (diam. 30m N-S; 28m E-W; H 2.5m to 4m at E), and stone from the castle was re-used in the now deserted farmstead just to the W (O Murchadha 1995).
See attached document with details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report). Uploaded courtesy of R. Ua Cróinín and M. Breen.
Date of upload: 11 December 2014
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