Feartagar Castle Explained

Feartagar Castle
Native Name:	Caisleán Fhearta Ghearr
Native Language:	ga
Other Name:	Jennings Castle
Coordinates:	53.5697°N -8.9427°W
Location:	Castlegrove East, Kilconly, County Galway, Ireland
Built:	15th–17th century
Owner:	State
Type:	tower house
Embedded:	Embed: yes Designation2: National Monument of Ireland Designation2 Offname: Feartagar or Jennings Castle Designation2 Number: 428^[1]

Feartagar Castle, also called Jennings Castle, is a tower house and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Location

Feartagar Castle lies on a hill 2.3km (01.4miles) east of Kilconly and 8.4km (05.2miles) northwest of Tuam, near to the River Nanny.^{[7] [8] [9]}

History

The tower house was built in the 15th–17th century by the de Burgos (Burkes, de Búrca). Descendants of William de Burgh (c. 1160 – 1205/06), Anglo-Norman knight and close friend of King John, the Burkes ruled in Connacht for centuries. They were dispossessed in 1651 by the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The castle later came into the possession of the Blakes of Tuam.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Description

A five-storey tower house, 12 × 10 m at base (39 × 33 ft).^[12] Features include round bartizans on each corner, a machicolation above the doorway and a latrine chute. The second floor is vaulted and there are two stone staircases.^[13]

Notes and References

1. Web site: National Monuments of County Galway in State Care . 3 . heritageireland.ie . National Monument Service . 27 July 2020.
2. Web site: Feartagar Castle. irishantiquities.bravehost.com.
3. Web site: Feartagar Castle. historicsitesofireland.blogspot.ie. 2011-10-21.
4. Web site: Castles of Co. Galway.. homepage.eircom.net.
5. Book: Spellissy, Sean. The history of Galway. 1 January 1999. Celtic Bookshop. Google Books. 9780953468331.
6. Book: Fry, Plantagenet Somerset. Castles of Britain and Ireland: The Ultimate Reference Book with Over 1,350 Gazetteer Entries. 18 March 1996. David & Charles. Google Books. 9780715302422.
7. Feartagar Castle, Castlegrove, County Galway. Rae. Edwin. 2 February 2008. 2262/13596.
8. Web site: Feartagar Castle, Castlegrove, County Galway (ID: e%3A2262%2F13596). discovery.dho.ie.
9. Book: Fry, Plantagenet. Castles: England + Scotland + Ireland + Wales. 15 October 2005. David & Charles. Google Books. 9780715322123.
10. Web site: Feartagar Castle Jennings Castle Castlegrove near Tuam County Galway. tuam.galway-ireland.ie.
11. Web site: Stock Photo - 15th C Feartagar Castle, known locally as Jennings Castle, near Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. Once a Burke stronghold, abandoned. Alamy. Limited. Alamy.
12. Web site: Jenning's Castle, Castlegrove, Co. Galway - Irish Archaeology. irisharchaeology.ie. 27 August 2014.
13. Web site: Feartagar Castle, Galway.