O'Dea Castle, also known as Dysert O'Dea Castle, is an
Irish fortified
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...
, loosely described as a castle at Dysert O'Dea (), the former
O'Dea clan stronghold, from
Corofin,
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
.
Caisleán Uí Dheá
Placenames Database of Ireland
The Placenames Database of Ireland (), also known as , is a database and archive of place names in Ireland. It was created by Fiontar, Dublin City University in collaboration with the Placenames Branch of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, ...
. Retrieved 22 November 2011. It was built between 1470 and 1490 by Diarmaid O'Dea, Lord of Cineal Fearmaic, and stands some high on a limestone outcrop base measuring .[''Dysart O'Dea Castle, Co. Clare'' by Risteard Ua Croinin and Martin Breen, ''The Other Clare'', Volume 9, page 17. Shannon Archaeological and Historical Society, April 1985.] The tower is adjacent to Dysert O'Dea Monastery, close to the R476 road.
History
The Battle of Dysert O'Dea, which drove the Anglo-Normans
The Anglo-Normans (, ) were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a combination of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French people, Frenchmen, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons.
Afte ...
from the region for over 200 years, took place at this site on 10 May 1318. The castle was built between 1470 and 1490 by Diarmaid O'Dea, Lord of Cineal Fearmaic. The Earl of Ormond took the castle from the O'Dea clan in 1570 by force. By 1584, however, they had regained it. At that time, Domhnall Maol O'Dea was listed as owner. Domhnall supported the northern Chiefs in the Nine Years' War of 1594-1603 and subsequently Dysert Castle fell to the Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
Bishop of Kildare, Daniel Neylon, who in 1594 bequeathed it to his son, John. The castle soon returned to the O'Dea clan. Conor Cron O'Dea supported the Confederates and participated in the successful siege of Ballyalla Castle in 1642.
After the fall of Limerick in 1651 to the Cromwellian forces, they maintained a small garrison here. When they left, the soldiers demolished the battlements, upper floors and staircase. The Neylon family then returned but during the reign of Charles II, Conor Cron O'Dea regained the castle. Conor's sons, Michael and James, supported the cause of James II and once again lost the castle. The lands passed to the Synge family but the castle eventually and gradually fell into ruin.
Today
Today, the castle is known as the ''Dysert O'Dea Castle and Archaeological Trails'', and is open to the public from May to August. The archeology trails include sites around the tower, including the remains of the Dysert O'Dea Monastery.
See also
* Tower houses in Britain and Ireland
Tower houses () appeared on the Islands of Ireland and Great Britain starting from the High Middle Ages. These house-fortifications were constructed in the wilder parts of Great Britain and Ireland, particularly in Scotland, and throughout Irela ...
References
Further reading
* ''O'Dea: Ua Deághaidh: The Story of a Rebel Clan'', by Risteárd Ua Cróinín (Richard Cronin), Ballinakella Press, Whitegate, Co. Clare, Ireland, 1992. .
* ''Irish Battles – A Military History of Ireland'', by G.A. Hayes-McCoy, Appletree Press, 1990,
External links
Dysert O'Dea Castle
– official site
O'Dea Clan Site
{{authority control
Castles in County Clare
Historic house museums in the Republic of Ireland
Museums in County Clare
Archaeological museums in the Republic of Ireland
Tower houses in the Republic of Ireland