Castles in County Clare.

Built by Sean MacNamara's in 1467, the castle remained in the possession of the MacNamara's until the 1641 rebellion, when its then owner Donal MacNamra was one of the leaders of the rebellion, after which it was confiscated by Cromwell and granted to one of his supporters Arthur Smith.

After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the castle was restored to the MacNamara's who held it until 1800 when it was sold to the Scott family, who carried out extensive renovations. In 1855, Knappogue Castle became the property of Thomas F Butler .Lord Dunboyne' who continued the restoration.

Sometime in the 1920's the castle was acquired by a local farmer, between then and 1966 when it was bought by Edwin Andrews of Houston Texas it had fallen into a state of disrepair. Andrews and his architect wife began a major restoration which was to bring the castle back to its former glory

The castle is now run as a hotel.

(Glen of the ivy.)

This L shaped tower house was built by the O'Loughlin's in the fifteenth or sixteenth century. A spiral staircase that will take you to the fourth floor, is situated in the small leg of the L.

(Mouth of the river Ratty.)

Robert de Muscegros built a motte and bailey on this site about 1250. In the late thirteenth century it was replaced by a stone castle built by Thomas de Clare. Thomas's son Richard was killed at the battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318, after which his widow set fire to the castle before leaving the area.

It was rebuilt in 1355 by Thomas de Rokeby. The oldest parts of the present castle date from the mid fifteenth century, when it was in the hands of the MacNamara's. The O'Brien's were in control by 1500, in 1543 Murrough O'Brien was created first earl of Thomond by Henry VIII.

Donough O'Brien the fourth earl made considerable structural changes to the building in the late sixteenth century. During the civil war in the mid seventeenth century the castle was held by Admiral Sir William Penn (Father of the founder of Pennsylvania.) For the parliamentary forces, but is later surrendered. The castle was owned for a time by the Stoddert family, before being bought by Lord Gortin 1956.

The castle is a popular tourist attraction complimented by the surrounding folk park, which contains many replicas of rural buildings in Ireland. These include a blacksmith's shop, several farmhouses and thatched cottages, a fisherman's cottage, a farm laborer's bothy (bothán scóir) several urban shops and houses, a horizontal grain mill, and the Talbot collection of agricultural machinery and implements.

This late fifteenth century tower house built by the McMahon, if eventually came into the possession of the O'Brien's. It was captured for Cromwell 1652 by General Edmund Ludlow.