Caslaunacorran, Parteen, Co. Clare
Caslaunacorran in Parteen, County Clare, offers a glimpse into Ireland's medieval past through its archaeological remains.
Caslaunacorran, Parteen, Co. Clare
The site features the ruins of a tower house, likely built during the 15th or 16th century when such fortified dwellings were common amongst the Anglo-Norman and Gaelic nobility of Ireland. These tower houses served as both defensive structures and symbols of status, typically standing three to five storeys tall with thick stone walls designed to withstand siege warfare.
The name Caslaunacorran itself tells a story, with ‘Cas’ or ‘Caisleán’ meaning castle in Irish, whilst the remainder of the name likely refers to a local family or geographical feature. During its active years, the tower house would have been home to a minor lord and their household, complete with living quarters on the upper floors and storage spaces below. The structure would have dominated the local landscape, serving as a centre of administration and a refuge during the frequent conflicts that characterised medieval Ireland.
Today, the ruins stand as a testament to the complex social hierarchies and architectural traditions of medieval Clare. Like many tower houses across Ireland, Caslaunacorran fell into decline following the Cromwellian conquest of the 1650s and the subsequent restructuring of Irish society. The site remains largely unexcavated, holding potential secrets about daily life in medieval Ireland; from cooking implements and pottery shards to evidence of trade connections that linked rural Clare to wider European networks.