Newtown Castle

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Newtown Castle
File:Newtown Castle.png
Newtown Castle prior to restoration
Newtown Castle is located in Ireland
Newtown Castle
Location within Ireland
General information
Location Ballyvaughan, County Clare, Ireland
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Completed 16th century
Client O'Brien Clan

Newtown Castle is a 16th-century tower house, located close to the village of Ballyvaughan within the Burren area of County Clare, Ireland. Uniquely for a tower house of its type in Ireland, Newtown Castle is round but rises from a square pyramidical base. It is today part of the Burren College of Art.

History

Newtown Castle was built circa 1550[1] for the O'Brien clan. In the Forfeitures and Distribution books of 1641 it was listed as property of Donogh O'Brien. However, Newtown Castle soon passed into possession of the O'Lochlainn (or O'Loghlen) family, the most powerful clan of the area. The Ordnance Survey of 1839 names Charles O'Loghlen as inhabitant of the castle and describes the tower as being in good repair. Charles O'Loghlen was locally known as the "King of the Burren".[2]

In 1848, the landlord, the then Marquess of Buckingham who had been bankrupted sold the local lands.[3] The Buckingham estates in County Clare, around 7,000 acres in the Barony of Burren were purchased for 30,000 pounds by one Richard Samuel Guinness, acting as agent for Colonel Henry White.[4]

At the time of the Griffith's valuation in the 1850s, the building next to the castle, erected c. 1820, was a rectory inhabited by the Reverend Hugh B. Howlett.[1][3]

At the end of the 19th century Peter O'Loghlen lived in the castle. He was referred to as the "Prince of the Burren".[5]

File:Newtown Castle, viewed from An Rath.jpg
Newtown Castle and its surroundings viewed from the earth fort An Ráth.

Architecture

Newtown Castle is one of only a few cylindrical tower houses in the area. In all of Ireland, only around 30 of the roughly 3,000 tower houses are round.[6] In addition, Newtown Castle features an unusual pyramidical base, which makes it unique in all of Ireland.[6] The tower has four upper floors. The ground floor and first floor feature vaulted ceilings.

Today

Newtown Castle was restored in 1993/1994 for use by the newly established Burren College of Art, which was opened by president Mary Robinson in 1994. It is available as a venue for weddings and conferences. The castle is located on the Burren Way, a long distance trail.[6] The castle is in the townland of Newton, parish of Drumcreehy.[7]

The college opens the tower daily year around.[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  8. [1]
  • George Cunningham: Burren Journey. Shannonside. Limerick 1978.
  • George Cunningham: Burren Journey West. Shannonside. Limerick 1980.
  • Mary Hawkes Greene: The Burren College of Art — from Dream to Reality in: Sarah Poyntz (ed.), Burren Villages — Tales of History and Imagination. Cork 2010.
  • Peter Harbison: Guide to National and Historic Monuments of Ireland. 3rd edition. Gill & Macmillan Publ., Dublin 1992, ISBN 0-7171-3239-0.
  • Anne Korff: The Burren. A Ramblers Guide & Map. Ballyvaughan. Clodori Lurgan Teo, Kinvara 1986, ISSN 0790-8911.

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External links