A Project by Fifth and Sixth Class, Ballinderreen N.S.
Dunguaire is usually referred to as Dunguaire Castle but it is not actually a castle. It is a typical model of a 16th century tower house. Tower houses were fortified residences built as a fashionable Irish house for a gentleman or a strong farmer. The tower of the castle stretches 75 feet up in the air and both the tower and the surrounding defensive walls are in remarkable condition.
The site is believed to be the royal palace of King Guaire Aidhne locally known as the Hospitable King of Connacht during the seventh century. King Guaire was a brother of St. Colman MacDuagh. The legend of Bóthar na Mias tells the story of the magical transportation of dishes laden with food to St. Colman from King Guaire’s castle. Legend has it that King Guaire became quite generous after his experience with St. Colman and Bóthar na Mias and he was known as the Hospitable King of Connacht. He died in 662AD.
The castle was constructed by the O’Hynes family in 1520. They had lived in the area since 662AD and are believed to be the direct descendants of King Guaire.
During the 17th Century, Dunguaire Castle was owned by Oliver Martin FitzRichard whose son was Mayor of Galway from 1642 to 1643. It stayed with the Martin family until the early 20th Century when Oliver St. John Gogarty, who was a surgeon and poet, purchased it and began restoration work on the castle. It was also used as a meeting place for leading members of the Irish Literary Revival. Lady Gregory, William Butler Yeats and George Bernard Shaw were regular visitors to the castle.
In 1954 the castle was purchased by Cristobel Lady Ampthill who completed the restoration of the castle. It is now owned by Shannon Development and is open to members of the public during the summer months.
Dunguaire has vaults or stone arched ceilings, stone corbels and machicolations. Machicolations are a common feature of medieval castles and tower houses. They were originally invented to give defenders a view of the ground and make it possible for them to drop missiles on attackers. Battlements on the top of the tower house allowed guards to shoot missiles or arrows on attackers.
Loop windows were tiny slits that allowed the Bowmen to shoot out arrows to defend the tower house. An embrasure is a small room inside the loop where a Bowman sat and shot arrows to defend the castle.
Corbels are ledges that support the machicolations on the outside and the floor beams on the inside of the castle.
Wickerwork was used to create the ceilings. It was placed on wood and mortar and stones were placed over it. The wickerwork patterns can be seen on the ceilings today.
Dunguaire Castle has a number of floors connected by a stone, spiral stairway. The guardroom and storeroom were on the first floor. The banqueting hall was on the second floor and the living quarters and the bedrooms were on the third and fourth floors.
We all really enjoyed our trip to the castle. It was an interesting and educational experience.