Site of Dangan Castle — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Daingean Bona Cuilinn, a name meaning stronghold, burned in 1145, leaving behind a low rise in County Roscommon where no wall or trench remains visible. Donogh O'Birne held the place in the early 17th century, and his son controlled 160 acres there in 1641, suggesting the castle site sustained a local power long after its wooden or stone form disappeared. The absence of ruins does not diminish the claim; it redirects attention to the land itself, the boundary of a quarter, and the continued use of a name that marked strength long before stone could be seen.

Identified by John O'Donovan in the 1830s as Daingean Bona Cuilinn which was burned in 1145 (AFM vol. 2, 1079), the name Dangan (daingean) means stronghold. It was called Dangen I Beirne and had a fair on 25th May in the later 16th century. Donogh O'Birne held it in the early 17th century (O'Flanagan 1931, vol. 2, 11), and his son Donogh owned a quarter amounting to 160 acres there in 1641 (Simington 1949, 29). It does not feature in the history of the Mac Dermot clan of Moylurg (Mac Dermot 1996). It is described as the site of Dangan Castle on the 1837 and 1911 editions of the OS 6-inch map, and iis situated on a low rise in a low-lying landscape, but no features are visible at ground level in pasture. Rath (RO011-138----) is c. 40m to the W. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of revised upload: 27 November 2018

Dangan Castle was a medieval stronghold associated with the O'Beirne (Beirne) family, who held the area in the 12th century. It is remembered for its historical mention in annals and for hosting a fair on 25th May, indicating its local economic and social significance.

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