Carrigaholt () is a small

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, a castle and a Catholic parish by the same name. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

; an

Irish-speaking Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was t ...

community; until 1956.

Location

Carrigaholt lies at the mouth of the Moyarta river, which flows into the estuary of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Sha ...

about 15 km from the tip of the

Loop Head Loop Head (), is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland. Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is Kerry Head. The Sh ...

peninsula and about 10 km from the resort town of

Kilkee Kilkee () is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the parish of Kilkee, formerly Kilfearagh. Kilkee is midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town is popular as a seaside resort. The horseshoe bay is p ...

on the north coast of the peninsula. The village boasts a ruined castle that stood guard over the mouth of the Shannon and the local fishing pier.

Economy

Fishing is still continued in the village with a small number of boats delivering their catches to a local processing company. The village is also the local centre for the local farming community. The village has benefited recently from tourism, mainly provided by residents from

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

some 110 km to the east. The village has two restaurants, a fast food take-away and four

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and w ...

, some of which offer live entertainment, particularly during the summer high season. There is a holiday caravan park located nearby. A local business (Carrigaholt Dolphin Watch) offers boating trips to observe

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...

in the mouth of the Shannon River, home to one of the largest pods in Europe. The Carrigaholt Sea Angling Centre offers fishing packages for up to 8 fisherman at a time and runs a purpose built boat. Catches include ray,

conger ''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

, dogfish, tope,

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not c ...

, pollock, hake and

turbot The turbot (''Scophthalmus maximus'') is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an ...

. Other features include a beach suitable for swimming and watersports, two piers, and local village shops for food necessities.

Facilities

Carrigaholt parish, which also covers Doonaha, is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ; ga, Deoise Chill Dalua) is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of ...

. The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Carrigaholt, was built in 1832–1833. There is a school in Carrigaholt. Coláiste Eoghain Uí Chomhraídhe, the Irish college one mile west of Carrigaholt was founded in 1912. Students come from various locations in Ireland to learn and improve their Irish each Summer.

Carrigaholt Castle

Carrigaholt Castle was built in about 1480 by the McMahons, chiefs of the Corcabascin Peninsula. It stands at the end of a fishing pier overlooking the

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to ...

and the harbour. This is a tall, well-preserved five storey

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strate ...

surrounded by a

bawn A bawn is the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house. It is the anglicised version of the Irish word ''bábhún'' (sometimes spelt ''badhún''), possibly meaning "cattle-stronghold" or "cattle-enclosure".See alternative traditional ...

(walled courtyard). The castle features

murder hole A murder hole or meurtrière is a hole in the ceiling of a gateway or passageway in a fortification through which the defenders could shoot, throw or pour harmful substances or objects such as rocks, arrows, scalding water, hot sand, quicklime, ...

s and a

bartizan A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of late medieval and early-modern fortifications from th ...

. A spiral staircase leads to the top of the building where there was a stone vaulted roof. The castle was occupied by Teige Caech "the short sighted" McMahon in September 1588 when seven ships of the Spanish Armada anchored at Carrigaholt. Although aid was refused by the McMahons (who are descendants of

Mathgamain mac Cennétig Mathgamain mac Cennétig (also known as Mahon) was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He was the elder brother of Brian Bóruma. Mathgamain was the son of Cennétig mac Lorcáin of the Dál gCais. His father died in 951 and i ...

), the castle was nonetheless unsuccessfully besieged shortly afterwards by Sir Conyers Clifford (Governor of

Connaught Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and De ...

). The following year the renegade fourth

Earl of Thomond Earl of Thomond was an hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the O'Brien dynasty which is an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster. History and background First creation Under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 ...

(Donagh O'Brien) captured it after a four-day siege and, in breach of the surrender terms, hanged all the defenders. Ownership then passed to the Earl's brother Donal O'Brien, who was responsible for inserting many of the castle's windows as well as the fireplace on the fifth floor, which bears the date 1603. Donal's grandson was the celebrated third

Viscount Clare Viscount Clare was a title in the Peerage of Ireland, created twice. First creation The titles of Viscount Clare and Baron Moyarta were conferred on Daniel O'Brien, a younger son of Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond, on 11 July 1662. These t ...

who resided at Carrigaholt and raised a regiment of horses known as the "Yellow Dragoons" for the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter ...

King

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

's armies. After the forfeiture of his extensive 230 km² (57,000-acre) estate by the Williamites, the castle was acquired by the Burton family. The castle today is under the care of the

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of ow ...

. All that remains is a shell of its former nobility. The Burton Family were the last inhabitants and left it in the late 19th century.

Gallery

File:Carrigaholt Castle bawn wall.jpg, Carrigaholt Castle and enclosing bawn wall. Round tower to the foreground. File:Carrigaholt Castle sea wall.jpg, Carrigaholt Castle from the sea side File:Carrigahold Castle profile.jpg, Carrigaholt Castle File:Carrigaholt Post Office.jpg, Carrigaholt Post Office

References

External links

Dolphinwatch

Coláiste Eoghain Uí Chomhraídhe
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Clare National Monuments in County Clare Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe