Annaghkeen Castle, Annaghkeen, Co. Galway
Standing on the shore of a small bay on the eastern side of Lough Corrib, Annaghkeen Castle is a well-preserved example of medieval Irish fortification.
Annaghkeen Castle, Annaghkeen, Co. Galway
The rectangular keep, measuring 15.5 metres long by 10.5 metres wide, dates back to the 13th century and was already documented as existing in 1324. By 1574, historical records show it was held by one Moyler McReamon, a member of the Burke family who controlled much of this region during the late medieval period.
The castle’s original design featured two storeys with the main entrance positioned at first floor level on the southeast wall, a common defensive feature of the period that made forced entry more difficult. Ground floor doorways in both the southeast and northwest walls were likely added later for convenience. The structure contains an intricate network of intramural staircases; one in the northeast wall connected the ground and first floors whilst providing access to the now-vanished wall walks, and another rises through the southwest wall at first floor level. At some point, possibly in the 15th or 16th century, significant modifications were made including the addition of a nearly square latrine tower on the northwest corner, complete with vaulted ceilings between its three storeys, and a third storey added to the western end of the main keep.
Though most of the window dressings have been robbed out over the centuries, leaving only a small lintelled opening in the southwest wall, the castle retains several intriguing features. A mysterious alcove is visible on the outer face of the southwest wall at ground level, whilst carved stone heads discovered in 2014 adorn the southeast wall at second floor level, with at least one partially obscured by ivy. Just southwest of the tower, a nine metre fragment of masonry hints at either an additional building or the remains of a bawn wall that would have enclosed the castle’s courtyard.