Ballyhannon Castle, Medieval tower house in Quin, Ireland

Ballyhannon Castle is a tower house near Quin, County Clare, standing on a low rock with a scarped west side. Robert Twigge measured the tower at 33 feet 6 inches by 24 feet and found it in excellent condition. A pointed-arch door on the south side is flanked by a gun loop and protected by a machicolation above.

The MacNamara family built this tower in 1490 during a period of advanced masonry techniques in the Kingdom of Thomond. The castle was constructed when many similar defensive buildings were being raised across the region.

The name Ballyhannon comes from the townland, meaning O'Hannan's home, though the Hannon sept had no known role in the castle's history. Later it was called Castlefergus after the nearby River Fergus. A fireplace inscribed "H.T.E. 1576", recorded in the 1890s, was among the county's earliest dated examples but can no longer be found in the building.

The interior is spread across multiple levels and the staircases are narrow and steep, so sturdy shoes and time to climb are necessary. Plan to move slowly through the building to experience each floor safely.

A fireplace inscribed "H.T.E. 1576", recorded by Westropp and Twigge in the 1890s, was among County Clare's earliest dated fireplaces, but it can no longer be located inside the castle. A 1675 sketch in the Edenvale Survey shows the tower roofed and in good condition, ringed by a bawn wall with a gate and loophole windows.