Castle — Dower

A Mac Dermot Gall centre probably from the late 14th century, the castle was burnt by O'Donnell in 1527 (Ann Conn, 665). By 1580 it had been acquired by William Clifford whose family retained it into the 1650s when the land passed to the French and King families. Callow castle was burned in 1596 by Irish rebels. (Mac Dermot 1996, 381-2; 449; O'Conor, 2007, 197-8). Known as Caladh Lochae Deichet, Caislead an Chalaidh or Carrickbeg, and locally as 'Babhdhun a Chaluidh' in the mid-19th century according to J. O'Donovan when it was thought to have been owned by Drury (O'Flanagan 1933, 112). Situated on flat ground c. 130m from the present S shore of Callow Lough, although at one time it was at the shore (OS 1837 6-inch map). It is a rectangular grass-covered area (dims 77m E-W; 60m N-S) defined by a wall (T 0.6m; max. int. H 1.1m) at W and fragments of a similar wall at E which has the remains of a tower at the SE angle. The outer flat-bottomed fosse at W (Wth of top 9m; D 0.5m) and S (Wth of top 8-9m; D 1.25m) is represented by a band of rushes (Wth 5m) at E, and a low scarp (H 0.6m) at N. A causeway (Wth 4m) crosses the fosse at S, and the E and W walls are now incorporated in N-S field walls. The grass-covered foundations (Wth 1m; H 0.2m) of a house (RO009-030001-) (int. dims 4.8m E-W; 4.5m N-S) are at the N edge of the interior, and the grass-covered foundations (Wth 0.5m) of another structure (RO009-030002-) (int. dims 2.5m x 2.5m) are at the centre. The rectangular enclosure (RO009-029----) is c. 150m to the W. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010