Clonmore Castle

I got a text message today at 9:30 from @xkasabian asking if I was free, and he went onto to tell me that there were nearby castles that needed exploring.

Well, when I he mentioned castles, and explorations, I got myself together and eagerly awaited his arrival.

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Clonmore is literally a few houses that you pass through, yet it holds this amazing old ruin.

In Ireland, little hidden gems like this await you around every corner.

For the size of our small island, there is an estimated 30,000 castles. Now, that doesn't mean that they're all accessible. Some are little more than pillars; a suggestion of long lost structures that once stood proud.

When we first pulled in, we could only see the structure to the right of this photo, then upon passing it, the rest opened.

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In this photo you can still see some stairs that would have led further up a tower that once stood tall.

You can see much erosion, and by the look of it, some sections of this structure are on the brink of collapse.

This was our first sight of the castle, not knowing of the rest of the grounds hidden behind it.

Sites like this are a common site in parts of this country, and they are very much in the heart of the land. For example, this one is right beside a main road, and flanking either side of this structure are regular old homes.

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Little details such as this are still visible and prominent.

Windows like this allowed for light to come through during the day, but they were also strategically placed in order to fire any enemy forces attempting to attack.

This castle was just on the side of the road, and we passed it enroute to another location, but decided we had to stop and have a look at it.

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We hopped the fence and went around the back of the castle, hoping to gain access to the main building.

As you can see, there is an active mote. Which stopped us from passing onto the grounds. Effective than, as it is now.

We discussed this mote, and came to the conclusion that this wasn't something put in afterwards for tourists, this is definitely a functioning one, most likely from the time this fortification was active and lived in.

I would guess that this castle was constructed in the 15th century, maybe even the 14th. (That was my guess anyway, so I'm going to look up and see if I was close.)

Okay, so it was a 12th century structure, but there is no mention of it until Sir Anthony De Lucy repaired it in 1332.

If this was a 12th century structure with no prior mention, that means it could have been Irish build, and may have been destroy during the Norman Invasion of the 1160s.

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Since we couldn't entered through the back of the building due to the mote, we walked back around to the front of the building.

The main section of the building had a breach in the wall, and the old rubble was buried in the mud beneath it. I gave the stones a shove and they were solid.

They seemed to form a makeshift staircase of sorts, which we used to enter the main area.

From it, you can see some more details of the structure, and you can only image what this building could have been in the day.

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Here's another arrow loop.

This one seems to overlook what could have been the main entrance into this particular building, which may have been the last fallback for the people living here, if they came under attack.

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Here is a wider shot of the arrow loop.

This room we're in would have been enclosed and we could even see multiple stories above us, where floors once stood. Above them, we could see the remains of a potential round tower.

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The arrow loop aimed out into the green there.

The whole in the wall right there, maybe have at one point been the gates of this building.

The green would have been the courtyard of this castle, in the distance you can see another building, and surrounding it are more buildings.

By the look of it, this would have been sealed by outer walls, which would have connected all of those buildings, and the courtyard would have been enclosed.

Potential for a barracks, armoury, stable, and store house would have been possible, among other structures. Beyond the walls would have been farms, and maybe even some hovels.

My mind wandered so much while looking around this location and I could see what may have been at one time in history.

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