Carrigafoyle has had a stormy history and, although wrecked by a series ofbloody sieges, remains a remarkable castle. Cleverly located between thehigh- and low-water marks on the shore of the Shannon Estuary, it comprisesa large tower built towards the end of the fifteenth century by the O'Connorsof Kerry. The tower was protected on the landward side by two square bawns,an inner one with rounded turrets and an outer with square towers at thecorners. These bawns extended into the water and enclosed a small dock, sothat boats could sail right up to the castle - a rather useful if not uniquefeature.

The tower has five storeys rising to a height of 86 feet and is beautifullyconstructed of specially selected small stones laid in neat courses. Eachfloor has an oblong chamber with a small room and spiral stair in the wallthickness at the seaward end. There are vaults over the second and fourthfloors, the steep pointed arch of the latter now exposed in section by abreach of the wall on the landward side. Above can be seen small chambersin the hanches of the vault that helped to reduce its general weight andperhaps served as secret chambers.

Among the State Papers in London there is a plan of the castle dated April1580 together with a letter to Queen Elizabeth from Lord Justice Sir WilliamPelham. The previous month Pelham had besieged the castle, then held forthe Earl of Desmond by an Italian engineer, Captain Julian, with fifty Irishmen and sixteen Spaniards. Pelham used artillery brought by sea and withintwo days had battered down the bawn and the western landward side of thecastle. All the surviving members of the garrison were hung and the Earlof Desmond's plate, stored in the castle, was sent to the Queen. The castlewas later recovered by the O'Connors, only to be surrendered again to theLord Deputy, Sir George Carew, in 1600. It is known to have had a garrisonof forty men in 1659 to protect the south shore of the Shannon. Despite itswrecked condition the castle was occupied in the last century by a Dr Fitzmauriceand his family.

Located 2 miles N of Ballylongford in the channel between the mainland andCarrig Island.

Accessible from the road across a raised path of stones liable to be submergedat very high tides.

NGR: Q 988474.

National Monument.

From The Appletree Guide to Irish Castles by Terence Reeves-Smyth.