In
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
at the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century, the fortified house (), along with the
stronghouse, developed as a replacement for the
tower house. 'Fortified Houses' were often rectangular, or sometimes U or L-shaped, three-storey structures with high gables and chimney stacks and large windows with
hood mouldings. Some examples have square towers at the corners. The interiors were relatively spacious with wooden partitions and numerous fireplaces. In a number of cases 'Fortified Houses' were built onto pre-existing tower houses. 'Fortified Houses' were protected by gun fire from the angle towers and
bartizans, and were also provided with
bawn
A bawn is the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house. It is the anglicised version of the Irish word ''bábhún'' (sometimes spelt ''badhún''), possibly meaning "cattle-stronghold" or "cattle-enclosure".See alternative traditional s ...
walls with
gunloops, towers and protected gateways. 'Fortified Houses' were built throughout Ireland by large landowners from a variety of backgrounds, such as the
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
Earl of Clanricarde who built
Portumna Castle in
County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
; Gaelic lords such as
MacDonogh MacCarthy, Lord of
Duhallow, who built
Kanturk Castle in
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
; and
Cromwellian soldiers such as
Sir Charles Coote, who built
Rush Hall in
County Offaly
County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...
.
Examples
*
Athlumney Castle, Navan
*
Burncourt Castle, County Tipperary
*
Coolhull Castle, County Wexford
*
Dromaneen Castle, County Cork
*
The Mint, Carlingford, County Louth
*
Portumna Castle, County Galway
*
Robertstown Castle, County Meath
*
Saint David's Castle, Naas
*
Terryglass Castle, County Tipperary
See also
*
Tower house
*
Manor house
References
*Joe Nunan (2006)
The Fortified Houses of County Cork: Origin, fabric, form, function and social space, ''The Proceedings of the 2006
Association of Young Irish Archaeologists conference'', pp. 65–75.
External links
The Fortified House: A Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortified House
Architecture in the Republic of Ireland
16th-century architecture
Fortifications in Ireland
Fortified houses
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