Ballymore Castle in Lawrencetown, County Galway,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

was originally a 15th-century tower house belonging to O'Madden. A house was added in 1620, and the castle has been much altered since then.

Early history

The castle was built in 1585 by John Lawrence on land he had acquired through his marriage to a daughter of O'Madden, Lord of Longford. In 1603 John Lawrence's eldest son, Walter Lawrence, married Cecily Moore, the granddaughter of

Richard Burke, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde Richard Burke, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde (; ; died 24 July 1582) was an Irish noble who succeeded his father Ulick na gCeann Burke, 1st Earl of Clanricarde as chief of a Gaelicised Norman family with authority over much of what is now County ...

. The Castle of Ballymore suffered much during the subsequent wars and was repaired by Walter Lawrence, who erected a commemorative marble chimney-piece in one of the upper rooms of the Castle, bearing his initials W.L. 1620."Ballymore Castle", Ask About Ireland
/ref> John Lawrence Jr. was dispossessed by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

in 1641, having espoused the royalist cause in the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...

, under the leadership of

Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde Ulick MacRichard Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde, 5th Earl of Clanricarde, 2nd Earl of St Albans (; ; ; ; 1604, in London – July 1657, in Kent), was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who was involved in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Catholic Roy ...

. The castle and much of the estate was given to Sir

Thomas Newcomen Thomas Newcomen (; February 1664 – 5 August 1729) was an English inventor who created the atmospheric engine, the first practical fuel-burning engine in 1712. He was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling. He ...

, who leased the castle to the Lawrences for many years.

Williamite war

During the Williamite wars,

Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, ga, Pádraig Sáirseál, circa 1655 to 21 August 1693, was an Irish soldier, and leading figure in the Jacobite army during the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland. Born into a wealthy Catholic famil ...

sent

Ulick Burke, 1st Viscount Galway Ulick Burke, 1st Viscount Galway (; ; – 1691) was an Irish army officer slain at the Battle of Aughrim while fighting for the Jacobites during the Williamite War in Ireland. Birth and origins Ulick was born about 167 ...

to hold Ballymore. In early June 1691, Burke and about 1200 defenders encamped in a fort on the shores of Lough Seudy. A smaller force occupied the castle, which de Ginkell attacked first. The sergeant and his small band resisted, and when eventually they were captured, de Ginkell hanged the sergeant before turning his attention to the fort. The fort was besieged by artillery on the land side, approached on the water by boats, the governor, Colonel Ulick deemed it right to surrender on the following day". De Ginkell remained at Ballymore for a further ten days, to prepare his troops for their next engagement at Athlone.

Later history

On Newcomen's death, it passed to his stepson, Nicholas Cusack of

Cushinstown Cushinstown is a townland which, together with Roadmain and Curraghtown is in the parish of Duleek, County Meath, Ireland. This entity is not, at any point geographically attached to the main part of the parish, so it might be said that these t ...

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, who sold it to John Eyre of

Eyrecourt Eyrecourt, historically known as Donanaghta (), is a village in County Galway, Ireland. Eyrecourt is on the R356 regional road 12 km west of the Banagher bridge over the River Shannon. History The Eyres after whom the village is named ...

about 1720.Downey, John. "Ballymore Castle", Lawrencetown.com
/ref> At the time the estate was leased by the Seymour family. The castle was modernised and a two-story house added to the castle in 1815, featuring a central bow with a curved fanlighted doorway. Thomas Seymour purchased the castle and lands outright from Giles Eyre around 1824. He was married to Matilda Margaret Lawrence. Their son, Queensland Police Commissioner

David Thompson Seymour David Thompson Seymour (5 November 1831 – 31 January 1916) was a soldier and the inaugural commissioner of Queensland Police, in office from 1864 to 1895. Early life and military career Seymour was born on 5 November 1831 at Ballymore Castle, ...

, was born at Ballymore Castle in November 1831. Mrs. Hale, a relative of the Seymours, inherited the estate which was somewhat reduced at this time, a large portion having been acquired by the

Irish Land Commission The Irish Land Commission was created by the British crown in 1843 to 'inquire into the occupation of the land in Ireland. The office of the commission was in Dublin Castle, and the records were, on its conclusion, deposited in the records tower t ...

. It was subsequently sold together with its lands to Joe Naughton. "Ballymore Castle" is also the name of a brown gelding racehorse.

References

{{coord, 53, 14, N, 8, 11, W, display=title, region:IE_type:landmark_source:GNS-enwiki Houses completed in 1585 Castles in County Galway