Knappogue Castle

Knappogue was built in 1467 by Sean MacNamara and stayed in the family until the seventeenth century, when it was confiscated and later returned. It was one of the few castles in Clare that Cromwell's forces did not slight - it was used as a headquarters instead, which preserved it. The Victorian owners added a mansion wing, later demolished, and by the 1960s the tower was derelict. Mark Edwin Andrews, a Texan who had served as Assistant Secretary of the US Navy, and his architect wife Lavone bought and restored it, and it later passed to Shannon Heritage. The walled garden has been replanted. It is best known now in two ways that have little to do with its history: as a venue for medieval-themed banquets with music and food, and as the name on a single-malt whiskey brand, which uses the castle image rather than distilling there.

History

The castle was built in 1467 by Seán Mac Conmara, son of Síoda Mac Conmara, and its name means "castle of the place abounding in little hills". In 1571 it became the seat of the MacNamara sept, the Earls of West Clancullen, and it was expanded in the mid-19th century (Wikipedia, Knappogue Castle).

Highlights

• The 1467 tower - MacNamara work, restored in the 1960s.
• The walled garden - replanted, beside the castle.
• The restored interiors - furnished in period style by the Andrews restoration.
• The banquet hall - the main use of the building now.

When to go

April to September; opening is seasonal and the castle closes in winter. Banquets run in the evenings and must be booked well ahead in summer.

Things to know

Interiors are a mid-twentieth-century restoration furnished in period style, not original. Seasonal opening. The banquet is a themed entertainment, priced accordingly, and is a separate booking from daytime entry.

Nearby

Quin Abbey and Craggaunowen are close; Bunratty is south-east.

Key facts