Redwood Castle (also known as ''Egan Castle'' or in Irish) is a Norman

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

near

Lorrha Lorrha (from ) is a small village at the northern tip of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Ledewich described village as 'Larah' which is the common name for the talk-motes, mote hills etc. P. Dixon Hardy M.R.I.A. describes it as 'L ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, Ireland. The castle was built by the Normans around 1200 AD, and was occupied by them until , when the

Mac Aodhagáin Mac Aodhagáin ( English: ''Egan'' or ''Keegan''), is an Irish Gaelic clan of Brehons who were hereditary lawyers - firstly to the Ó Conchobhair Kings of Connacht, and later to the Burkes of Clanricarde. The earliest surviving Irish law ma ...

(MacEgan, Egan, Keegan) were installed on the lands. As hereditary Brehons or lawyers, the Mac Aodhagáin clan established a school of learning here, which was patronised by the family for several hundred years. The castle was enlarged and renovated several times, with considerable work from 1350. Aside from the original thick stone walls, the building demonstrates some architectural features common to Irish

fortifications A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

of the period (including a

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 ...

), and some less common features (including a

Sheela na gig A sheela na gig is a figurative carving of a naked woman displaying an exaggerated Human vulva, vulva. These carvings, from the Middle Ages, are Grotesque (architecture), architectural grotesques found throughout most of Europe on Architecture ...

). The castle remained under continuous occupation and ownership by the (Mac)Egan families until , when it was confiscated and burned at the time of the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the Commonwealth of England, initially led by Oliver Cromwell. It forms part of the 1641 to 1652 Irish Confederate Wars, and wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three ...

. The site remained in ruin for over 300 years, with only the thick exterior walls standing, until Michael J. Egan, a

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

lawyer, purchased and renovated the building in 1972. While the castle remains a private residence, terms of the Department of Finance ''Heritage/Cultural Tax Relief'' mean the castle is periodically open to the public during the summer months. It is a protected structure (ref S329) on the North Tipperary list of protected structures. The castle hosted several "Clan Egan" rallies in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

References

External links

Redwood Castle
- official site * {{coord, 53, 08, 48.74, N, 8, 07, 14.21, W, region:IE-TA_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Historic house museums in the Republic of Ireland Museums in County Tipperary Castles in County Tipperary Tower houses in the Republic of Ireland Norman castles