Cloonbigny Castle — Cloonbigny

On a slight rise in a low-lying landscape with lower ground to the E and S. The Keogh property of Cloonbigney had been acquired by John Moore, an English official from Athlone, by 1585 (Moore 1978, 61), and he may have built the house against the remains of the Keogh tower house (RO050-019001-). A structure at Clonbingney is marked on the Strafford map of c. 1636 (Simington 1949, Athlone), and 105 acres there together with the castle were owned by William Moore in 1641. William owned over 2000 acres in Taughmaconnell parish, but about 1350 acres were described as wood or bog. The land was largely in Cloonbigny, Carrowreagh, Carrownure and Clomadrone (Cloonaddron), and in the 1660s was mostly owned by Colonel Garrett Moore, as was the property in Cloonbigny (ibid. 105-06). The Moores were no longer among the principal families in the parish by the 19th century (Lewis 1837, 2, 585-6). This is a four bay, two storey and attic house (ext. dims 17.4m NE-SW; 7.1m NW-SE) and survives complete with good quoins, except much of the NW wall which probably contained the entrance. There are fireplaces in the NE and SW gable walls at both floors with an oven in the SW wall at ground floor, and there are three diamond-shaped chimney stacks rising from each gable. There are the remains of dormer windows in the SE wall. The house abuts the SE wall of tower house (RO050-019001-), whose newel stairs it used to access the first floor. It may have been constructed from the stones of the tower house and utilised the bawn also. A structure (int. dims 15.15m NE-SW; 9.5m NW-SW) NE of the house and outside the SE wall of the original bawn is later than both, but it has an entrance (Wth 1.15m) into the bawn where it abuts the house. (Craig 1982, fig. 94) See the attached images taken from the S, SE and inside the NE gable. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 27 November, 2015