Coordinates: 53°16′5.72″N 8°56′6.25″W / 53.2682556°N 8.9350694°W / 53.2682556; -8.9350694

Oranmore Castle

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Oranmore Castle
Native name
Caisleán Órán Mór (Irish)
File:Oranmore Castle.jpg
Typetower house
LocationOranmore, County Galway, Ireland
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Built15th century
OwnerLeonie Finn[1]
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Oranmore Castle is a castle in Oranmore, County Galway, Ireland.

History

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Oranmore Castle was most likely built some time around the 15th century, possibly on top of an older fortified house.[2] The Clanricardes, a notable family from Galway, used it as a stronghold. In March 1642 the town, Oranmore, joined Confederate Ireland in a rebellion, against which the owners of the castle, the Marquess and the fifth Earl Clanricarde, held out.[2] Clanricarde supplied the Fort of Galway from the sea until 1643, when, without the Marquess's sanction, Captain Willoughby Governor of Galway surrendered.[2][3]

While ownership was temporarily lost, the 6th Earl regained possession, and in 1666 leased the castle to Walter Athy, whose descendants kept control of Oranmore until 1853.[2] It was then abandoned.[4]

The castle, which had fallen into disrepair, was reroofed after Anita Leslie purchased it in 1947 for £200.[5][6] Her daughter Leonie inherited the castle upon Anita's death. Leonie and her husband, Irish folk musician Alec Finn (1944-2018), lived there from that time.[7]

Structure and layout

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The castle, a rectangular towerhouse, has four storeys, a square staircase turret, and gunloops on the bottom floor. [8]

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Oranmore Castle was featured in the 23 March 2001 episode of Scariest Places on Earth.[4] It was also used for the shooting of Alfred the Great,[9] as well as a film location for the Jack Taylor film The Pikeman. The exterior of Oranmore Castle is seen in the TV series Reign, as a French donjon.

References

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  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).[permanent dead link]
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