In the Middle Ages, every self-respecting clan had to have its own castle, a symbol of prestige and wealth. Most of the surviving buildings were once blossoming family residences, and Clononi Castle is no exception. Built in the early 16th century, during the reign of the famous Tudor royal family, it long served as the residence of families associated with crowned heads of state. Its architecture is still fascinating, the legends of the castle's ghosts give you the creeps, and the moat dug around the fortress is a reminder that Ireland's history hasn't always been smooth. In short, it's the perfect attraction that every self-respecting traveler should visit.
History of Castle Klononi
The exact date when the castle was built is unknown: it is believed to have been before 1519, funded by the McCoughlan clan. One of the representatives of the clan, John McCauflan, presented it to King Henry VIII. The king liked the king, and he in turn decided to make a generous gift in the form of Clononey to his future father-in-law, Thomas Boleyn, whose daughter he was about to marry.
Today the castle is among the objects of the National Treasure of Ireland. It has undergone several stages of restoration and is open to the public.
Architectural features
The castle is a 16-meter tower consisting of three stories. The area of Klononi is now a picturesque garden, a variation on what it might have looked like in the castle's heyday.
The builders took care to ensure the safety of the castle's inhabitants:
- The building is surrounded by thick stone walls.
- In the corners are two large towers.
- At the end of the building there are windows and battlements.
- The castle is surrounded by a moat.
The floors are connected by a steep spiral staircase, which also leads down to the cellar, which served as a casemate.
Thanks to the restoration work that is regularly carried out in the castle, it was possible to restore it:
- The original first floor
- The McCafflans' family crest
- The barrel arches of the second floor.
Interesting facts
- The castle is privately owned and admission to the grounds is free.
- King Henry VIII, who brought the castle as a gift to his father-in-law, some time later had his wife Anne (daughter of Thomas Boleyn) executed because she could not bear him an heir.
- After Anne's death, her sisters Elizabeth and Mary Boleyn continued to live at the castle. A tombstone was found a hundred yards from Clononey with the inscription "Here lie Elizabeth and Mary Boleyn, daughters of Thomas Boleyn, son of George Boleyn, son of George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, son of Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Ormonde and Wilshire."
- The Boleyn girls were the third cousins of Queen Elizabeth I.
- A ghost lives in Castle Clononey, as in other such Irish buildings: eyewitnesses tell of seeing the ghost of a man dressed in a poor peasant's shirt in the tower.
