| Oola Castle | |
| Native Name: | Caisleán Úlla |
| Native Language: | ga |
| Other Name: | Oolla Castle |
| Coordinates: | 52.5281°N -8.242°W |
| Location: | Oolahills East, Oola, County Limerick, Ireland |
| Built: | c. 1550–1600 |
| Type: | Tower house |
Oola Castle is a tower house located in County Limerick, Ireland.[1]
Oola Castle is located 1km (01miles) east of the village of Oola. It lies in the Golden Vale, 30km (20miles) southeast of Limerick.[2]
It should not be confused with the castle in Ballyneety nearby, which is sometimes called "Oola Castle."[3]
The current building dates to the late 16th century and was built by the O'Briens.[4] It is classified as a "later" tower house; according to Claire Foley and Colm Donnelly, "greater provision of heat and light, married to Renaissance concepts of symmetry, was incorporated into the traditional building form to create a new tower-house paradigm, as expressed at buildings such as Oola [Castle]."
In 1825, antlers of the Irish elk were discovered; and, in 1828, a bronze trumpet, spear and arrowheads of bronze were found. Both were placed in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin.
A local legend concerns a princess named Theresa who lived in the castle in the 18th century; she was very fond of oranges and was later forced to move to County Cavan for unclear reasons.[5] [6]
The castle is a square six-storey limestone tower house. There are circular bartizans on the northeast and southwest corners. The upper windows have hood moulding, and the east and west walls have their original fireplaces.[7]
When it was in use, it would have had whitewashed walls, gables crowned with chimneys and mullioned windows.[8]