An Irish Castle to Call Your Own
Irish castles were built throughout the country and are the best examples of their time. Not only did they often have the best fortifications of the era, they were also built with all the features of comfort and style that were deemed essential. A good example of this was Castle MacRory, which is situated 2.000 miles (3.000 km) from Dublin in the country of County Meath.
The castle was built in the mid 18th-century by John MacRory, Lord of Clannaboy, as a country retreat and holiday home for the estate of Clannaboy, located in County Meath. Over the centuries, the castle has undergone many alterations and additions and is now home to the Clannaboy Family Trust. It is now an Irish National Monument and the most visited tourist attraction in the county of Meath.
History
The Castle
After a period of residence in England and Scotland, John MacRory, Lord of Clannaboy in Co. Meath, returned to Ireland in 1738. By the late 1750s, he had married, taken up residence with a family member of the O’Conor family in Cork and begun constructing a country house in Clannaboy, later called the ‘Castle of MacRory’.
MacRory’s Castle was built for the Clannaboy estate of the O’Conors and the MacRory family from Cork, and although it is said to have been built by MacRory himself, the structure was most likely the work of a number of builders.
The castle at Clannaboy was originally a small circular tower house, designed to withstand attack from the sea. The walls had a number of holes for the firing of shots and other artillery, and a strong circular wall that surrounded the area of the tower and tower house. The castle also had a moat that surrounded the three sides of the property, and a drawbridge. The tower house was added to over the years by a number of MacRory’s relatives and servants, including his son and heir, Thomas MacRory.
The Tower House
The tower house was originally a simple circular building