Liscannor
16th Century Tower House
This possibly five or six storey tower house was built, by the O'Connor family, in a commanding position overlooking Liscannor bay, in the last quarter of the 16th century. It is situated on private land at the south-side of the town. By the end of the century the castle and nearby Dough castle were in the hands of the O'Brien family, Lords of Thomond. Sir Turlough O'Brien, who held the castle in 1588, was responsible for the execution of multiple survivors from the Spanish Armada who had fled to the west coast of Ireland.
After Cromwell's Conquest of Ireland in the mid seventeenth century the castle passed through the hands of several owners before falling into disrepair. Very few features remain apart from a spiral staircase in the east side of the ruin, a murder hole above the entrance and a number of narrow defensive window slits, aka arrow slits.
Situated: On the north shore of Liscannor bay, on the south side of the town. From the main street in the town follow the signs for St McCreehy's National School. The silhouette of the tower house can be seen from the roadway.
Discovery Map 51: R 0632 8806. Last Visited May 2023.
Longitude: 9° 23' 38.8" W
Latitude: 52° 56' 07.6" N
Photos: José Gutiérrez
