Redwood Castle (also known as ''Egan Castle'' or ''Caislean Choillte Rua'' in Irish) is a Norman

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

near

Lorrha Lorrha (from ) is a small village at the northern tip of County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located on a minor road between the R489 Birr to Portumna road and the N65 Nenagh to Portumna road about five kilometres east of the point where the Ri ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The castle was built by the Normans around 1200 AD, and was occupied by them until , when the

Mac Aodhagáin Mac Aodhagáin (English: ''Egan'' or ''Keegan''), is an Irish Gaelic clan of Brehons who were hereditary lawyers - firstly to the Ó Conchobhair Kings of Connacht, and later to the Burkes of Clanricarde. The earliest surviving Irish law manus ...

(MacEgan, Egan, Keegan) were installed on the lands. As hereditary

Brehons Early Irish law, historically referred to as (English: Freeman-ism) or (English: Law of Freemen), also called Brehon law, comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norma ...

or lawyers, the Mac Aodhagáin clan established a school of learning here, which was patronised by the family for several hundred years. The castle was enlarged and renovated several times, with considerable work from 1350. Aside from the original thick stone walls, the building demonstrates some architectural features common to Irish

fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

of the period (including a murder-hole), and some less common features (including a Sheela na gig). The castle remained under continuous occupation and ownership by the (Mac)Egan families until , when it was confiscated and burned at the time of the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland or Cromwellian war in Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell invaded Ireland w ...

The site remained in ruin for over 300 years, with only the thick exterior walls standing, until Michael J. Egan, a Mayo lawyer, purchased and renovated the building in 1972. While the castle remains a private residence, terms of the Department of Finance ''Heritage/Cultural Tax Relief'' mean the castle is periodically open to the public during the summer months. It is a protected structure (ref S329) on the North Tipperary list of protected structures. The castle hosted several "Clan Egan" rallies in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

References

External links

Redwood Castle
- official site * {{coord, 53, 08, 48.74, N, 8, 07, 14.21, W, region:IE-TA_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Historic house museums in the Republic of Ireland Museums in County Tipperary Castles in County Tipperary Tower houses in the Republic of Ireland