Castlekirk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Castlekirk |
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| Native name Irish: Caisleán na Circe |
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| Hen's Castle | |
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| Type | tower house |
| Location | Castlekirk Island, Lough Corrib, County Galway, Ireland |
| Built | before 1118 |
| Owner | State |
| Official name: Castlekirk Castle | |
| Reference no. | 245 |
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Castlekirk, also known as Hen's Castle, is an ancient tower house and a special National Monument in Ireland. It is located on an island in Lough Corrib.
Contents
Where is Castlekirk?
Castlekirk stands on a very small island in the northwest part of Lough Corrib. The island is only about half an acre big. It's near a place called Maum.
The Story of Castlekirk
How the Castle Was Built
This castle was built a long, long time ago, in the early 1100s. It was built by the sons of Ruaidrí na Saide Buide. They got help from William FitzAldelm. Castlekirk is one of the oldest castles in Ireland made with strong mortar.
Battles and Changes
In 1225, a leader named Sir Edmond Butler made Odo O'Flaherty give Castlekirk to Aedh Ua Conchobair, who was the King of Connaught. This was to make sure O'Flaherty stayed loyal. Later, in 1233, the castle was knocked down by Fedlimid, son of Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair.
Grace O'Malley and the Hen's Castle Name
In 1546, a famous Irish leader named Gráinne Ní Mháille married Dónal an-Chogaidh O'Flaherty. He was known as ‘the Cock’ because he was very aggressive. When Dónal was killed, Gráinne fought fiercely to protect the castle. Because of her strong fight, the castle became known as ‘Hen’s Castle’. This is the name it still has today.
The Castle's End
Castlekirk was used as a castle until 1654. That year, soldiers from Oliver Cromwell's army took it over. In the 1800s, parts of the ruined castle were taken away. People used the stones to build houses nearby.
Legends of Hen's Castle
The Magical Builders
There's a legend that says the castle was built in just one night by a cock and a hen! The Ó Flaithbheartaigh family, who were local lords, supposedly hired a witch to build it using magic. The witch cast spells for a day and a night and created the castle. She left a magic hen to guard it. She warned that as long as the hen was safe, the castle would be safe too. But during very bad weather, the people living in the castle had to eat the hen.
Strange Lights and Fairies
Jane Wilde, a writer from the 1800s, wrote about the folklore of Hen's Castle. She said:
Strange lights are sometimes seen flitting through it, and on some particular midnight a crowd of boats gather round it, filled with men dressed in green with red sashes. And they row about till the cock crows, when they suddenly vanish and the cries of children are heard in the air. Then the people know that there has been a death somewhere in the region, and that the Sidhe have been stealing the young mortal children, and leaving some ill-favoured brat in the cradle in place of the true child.
This legend talks about mysterious lights and boats filled with men in green. They disappear when a cock crows. Then, people hear children crying. This means that the Aos Sí (fairies) might have taken human children and left a "changeling" in their place.
What Castlekirk Looks Like
The rocks around Castlekirk drop steeply into the water on all sides.
