Feartagar Castle, Medieval tower house in Kilconly, Ireland
Feartagar Castle is a five-story stone fortress in Kilconly featuring round defensive turrets at each corner and a base of roughly 12 by 10 meters. The thick walls and solid construction show the practical design choices of medieval castle builders.
The de Burgo family built this fortress between the 15th and 17th centuries while establishing their control over the region. Cromwellian forces seized the castle in 1651, marking the end of its active use as a residence.
The castle represents how Anglo-Norman settlers expressed their presence in western Ireland through stone fortifications. These defensive structures shaped how the local landscape was controlled and defined for centuries.
The castle is located in a rural area reachable from Kilconly or from the town of Tuam on foot. It is worth checking local conditions beforehand since the site may not always be freely accessible.
The castle contains two separate stone staircases, which is unusual for a building of this size and suggests careful planning by its builders. A projecting stone above the entrance door served as a defensive feature to protect against intruders.
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