Oranmore Castle facts for kids
Oranmore Castle is an old castle located in Oranmore, a town in County Galway, Ireland. It's a really interesting historical spot!
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History of Oranmore Castle
Oranmore Castle was probably built around the 15th century. It might even stand on the site of an even older castle. A powerful family from Galway, known as the Clanricardes, used it as their strong base.
The 17th Century Rebellion
In March 1642, the town of Oranmore joined a group called Confederate Ireland. This group was part of a big rebellion in Ireland. The owners of the castle at the time, the Marquess and the fifth Earl Clanricarde, did not join the rebellion. They tried to defend the castle.
The Clanricarde family helped supply the Fort of Galway by sea. But in 1643, the governor of Galway, Captain Willoughby, gave up the fort. He did this without the Marquess's permission.
Changing Owners and New Life
Even though the Clanricarde family lost the castle for a short time, the 6th Earl got it back. In 1666, he rented the castle to Walter Athy. Walter Athy's family kept control of Oranmore Castle until 1853. After that, the castle was left empty and started to fall apart.
In 1947, a woman named Anita Leslie bought the castle for £200. It was in bad shape, so she had a new roof put on it. When Anita passed away, her daughter Leonie inherited the castle. Leonie and her husband, the famous Irish musician Alec Finn, have lived there since.
Castle Layout and Design
Oranmore Castle is a type of building called a towerhouse. It has a rectangular shape and four main floors. There's also a square staircase tower. On the bottom floor, you can still see special openings called gunloops. These were used to fire guns from inside the castle.
Oranmore Castle in Media
Oranmore Castle has appeared in several TV shows and movies.
- It was shown in an episode of Scariest Places on Earth on March 23, 2001.
- The castle was a filming location for the movie Alfred the Great.
- It was also used for the Jack Taylor film called The Pikeman.
- The outside of Oranmore Castle is even featured in the TV series Reign. In the show, it's used as the French dungeon!
