Site of Glenomra Castle, Cloongaheen East, Co. Clare
In the townland of Cloongaheen East, County Clare, the ruins of Glenomra Castle stand as a reminder of Ireland's turbulent medieval past.
Site of Glenomra Castle, Cloongaheen East, Co. Clare
This tower house, likely built in the late 15th or early 16th century, was once home to local chieftains who controlled this portion of Clare’s countryside. Though now reduced to partial walls and foundations, the castle’s remains offer visitors a glimpse into the defensive architecture that once dotted Ireland’s landscape during centuries of clan warfare and English colonisation.
The castle’s strategic location would have given its inhabitants commanding views over the surrounding bogland and fields, essential for spotting approaching enemies or traders. Like many Irish tower houses of its era, Glenomra was probably a compact, vertical structure with thick stone walls, narrow windows, and multiple floors connected by a spiral staircase. These fortified homes served dual purposes; they were both family residences and defensive strongholds, designed to withstand sieges whilst providing reasonable comfort to their noble occupants.
Today, the site sits quietly in the Clare countryside, largely forgotten except by local historians and the occasional rambler who stumbles upon its weathered stones. The castle’s demise likely came during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 1650s, when many such structures were deliberately destroyed or abandoned as the old Gaelic order gave way to English rule. What remains at Glenomra offers a tangible connection to a time when every local lord needed stone walls and a keen eye to survive in medieval Ireland’s fractious political landscape.