Clara Castle, Tower house in County Kilkenny, Ireland
Clara Castle is a tower house in County Kilkenny that rises five stories high with a vault positioned above the third floor. The structure retains its original oak doors and floor beams along with defensive features such as a murder-hole and drawbar mechanism.
The Shortall family built this tower house in the late 1400s and occupied it until 1640, when Henry Johnson took control during the period of Cromwellian conflict. This change marked a major turning point in the building's ownership and use.
The second floor displays a preserved Crucifixion mural painted on a wall that was originally colored blue, showing how medieval Irish residents expressed their faith through art.
The castle sits roughly 6 kilometers east of Kilkenny City and can be reached fairly easily by car or local transport. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for uneven floors and narrow stairs on the interior.
The top floor chamber stands as the largest and brightest space in the building, with a fireplace set off-center that signals how the interior was redesigned over the centuries. This feature reveals the building's adaptation to changing needs rather than remaining frozen in time.
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