Ruins of De Clares Castle, Quin, Co. Clare
The ruins of De Clare's Castle in Quin, County Clare, stand as a compelling example of medieval architecture repurposed through centuries of conflict and religious change.
Ruins of De Clares Castle, Quin, Co. Clare
Built in 1280 by Sir Thomas de Clare in an attempt to subjugate the local MacNamara clan, this Anglo-Norman stronghold occupied a strategic position on a bend of the River Rine, with the ground dropping sharply towards the water on its western and northern sides. The castle was substantial in scale, measuring approximately 37 metres across with round corner bastions extending the front elevation to 48 metres. A deep, flat-bottomed moat, still visible today from east to south, once provided additional defence; recent excavations in 2017 revealed portions of this refilled moat, which likely dated from the castle’s original construction around 1280.
The fortress enjoyed only brief success before falling to Cumheadha MacNamara in 1285, who captured and burned it just five years after its completion. The 14th-century Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh provides a vivid account of this assault, describing how the castle’s “ditch was crossed, earthworks carried, great gate battered in and hewn down; its strong walls were breached, its English stammerers captured.” Following its destruction, much of the castle was demolished and its stones recycled to build a Franciscan Friary on the same footprint, with many of the original castle walls incorporated directly into the new religious structure. The main entrance to the castle, located in the middle of the south wall, can still be seen beneath the crossing tower of the Friary, whilst the church windows required unusually deep splays both internally and externally to accommodate the thickness of the original castle walls.
Today, visitors can explore the lower portions of three round corner bastions at the northeast, southeast, and southwest corners, with the northeast bastion being the best preserved at 2.3 metres high and nearly 12 metres in diameter. This tower features narrow entrance passages, deep rectangular recesses with splayed embrasures for defence, and even a flue that narrows towards the top. The curtain walls survive in varying states of preservation; the eastern wall foundation runs for most of its original 25.4 metre length between the corner towers, whilst portions of the northern wall remain visible where they attach to the northeast tower. As a National Monument in State Care, these ruins offer a remarkable glimpse into Ireland’s turbulent medieval past, where military fortifications and religious buildings often shared not just proximity but actual fabric, creating a unique archaeological palimpsest that tells multiple stories of conquest, resistance, and adaptation.