Site of Castle ffrench, Castle Ffrench, Co. Galway
Site of Castle ffrench, Castle Ffrench, Co. Galway
Today, only fragments of the original structure survive; the southwest corner wall stretches about 1.5 metres, whilst overgrown boulders trace the ghostly outlines of what were once the northwest and southeast walls, measuring roughly 10.5 metres and 2 metres respectively. An overgrown wall adjoining the castle at the southwest corner, running about 10 metres, likely marks the remains of the bawn, a defensive courtyard typical of Irish tower houses.
The site tells a broader story of architectural evolution in this corner of Galway. According to the current landowner, a pointed arch doorway now incorporated into the walled garden to the northeast may have originally belonged to the castle itself, suggesting how later buildings cannibalised earlier structures. This pattern of reuse and adaptation continues across the immediate landscape, where a 17th century tower house stands about 200 metres to the east, and an 18th century mansion rises approximately 300 metres to the northeast.
These ruins, documented in detail by scholars including O’Flanagan in 1927 and later by Bence-Jones in 1978, form part of a rich tapestry of fortified dwellings that once dotted the Irish countryside. The Archaeological Inventory of County Galway, compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling in 1999, preserves the memory of this modest but historically significant structure, ensuring that even as nature reclaims the stones, the story of Castle ffrench remains part of Ireland’s architectural heritage.