Known locally as Sean Chaislean Bheárna, or Old Barna Castle, this fortification was already well established by 1574, when records show it was occupied by one Owen Ohalorane. The castle’s strategic position overlooking the bay would have made it an important defensive structure, controlling access to this stretch of coastline whilst commanding views across the Atlantic approaches to Galway.

Like many Irish castles, Barna met its end not through siege or battle, but through the slower violence of neglect and demolition. By the early 19th century, the structure had been completely razed; whether this was deliberate destruction or simply the result of locals repurposing its stones for other buildings remains unclear. Historical accounts from writers like Hardiman in 1846 and O’Flanagan in 1927 confirm that even by their time, the castle had vanished entirely from the landscape.

Today, visitors to Bearna will find no visible trace of the castle that once dominated this coastal setting. The site serves as a poignant reminder of Ireland’s lost architectural heritage; countless tower houses and small castles that once dotted the countryside have similarly disappeared, leaving only their names in historical documents and local memory. The exact location where Owen Ohalorane once walked the battlements is now known only through archaeological surveys and old maps, the physical structure having returned completely to the earth from which it was built.