Gregans Castle
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Gregans Castle is the name applied to both a 15th-century
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, to command and defend strategic points ...
and a Georgian-style house in
the Burren The Burren ( ; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.
region of
County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, near the village of
Ballyvaughan Ballyvaughan or Ballyvaghan () is a small harbour village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located on the N67 road on the south shores of Galway Bay, in the northwest corner of The Burren. This position on the coast road and the close proximity ...
. The latter dates from 1750 and is associated with the Martyn and O'Lochlainn (or O'Loughlen) families. The tower house is across the road from the modern house, which is now a hotel.


Location

Gregans Castle lies in the Ballyvaughan valley of
the Burren The Burren ( ; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.
, a unique region that contains grey limestone terraces, a very high concentration of alpine, mediterranean and arctic flowers, particularly orchids, ancient burial tombs, stone forts and ecclesiastical ruins.


History

The 15th/16th-century tower house was the seat of the chief of the O'Lochlainn (or O'Loughlen) family, called the "Prince of Burren". Until the end of the 16th century the area was referred to as "the Barony of Gragans" (probably derived from the word for mountain bog, an area of which is present on the hills to the west of the castle). Owney More O'Loughlen was proprietor of Gregans in 1641. In the
Cromwellian Settlement The Act for the Settling of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against Irish civilians and combatants after the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest. British historian John Morrill wrote that the Act and a ...
which came after 1654, he was dispossessed. The land was then granted to the Martyn family. It is unclear, however, whether the lands did leave the O'Loughlen family: In 1632, Turlough O'Loughlen had married Alice Martyn, daughter of George Martyn (Mayor of Galway 1632-1633), and it was their son, George Oge, using the name Martyn, to whom the lands were granted. (Though according to the Martyn family genealogy by Martin J. Blake, George Oge was the eldest son George Martyn, Mayor of Galway.) Apparently the Martyns built another fortified structure near the old tower house, rather than using the existing tower house. Eventually, they moved to the two-storey house at the location of today's hotel. An early member of the Martyn family is recorded as having been killed at the
Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim () was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland), Irish Jacobitism, Jacobite army loyal to James II of England, James II and the forces of Will ...
in 1691 at the end of the Jacobite wars. Later the family were prominent in the legal profession and lived mainly in Dublin. The house at Gregans seems to have been retained as a summer retreat in later years and most of the of land were let. In 1866, after contracting a most profitable marriage, Capt. John Gregory Martyn J.P., came to live permanently at Gregans. Capt. Martyn was a supporter of
Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1875 to 1891, Leader of the Home Rule Leag ...
and
Home Rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...
for Ireland. The house was extended considerably at this time. After his death, his son Francis Florence Martyn remained at Gregans and farmed a much reduced estate. During these times of economic depression, the house fell into some disrepair and the unmarried Frank, locally thought of as an eccentric, died in 1956. In fact, in the 1940s, Frank even tried his hand at inn-keeping and obtained a bar license. After he died, his housekeeper, Miss Crowe continued to live in the house and eventually, the trustees sold the house for conversion to a hotel. The oldest surviving feature of the house is the former kitchen fireplace with crest keystone in what is now the Martyn Suite. In 1967 the house opened as Gregans Castle Hotel.


Today

The Georgian residence is still operated as a hotel. The tower house has been restored from its ruinous state and is now a private residence.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Hotel website
Houses in the Republic of Ireland Buildings and structures in County Clare Castles in County Clare Hotels in County Clare Houses in County Clare