Did your Family Live in an Irish Castle?

I often get asked – “did my family own Irish Castles?” It’s the ultimate fairy tale – Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses all living in beautiful old castles.

Castledonovan, County Cork – Seat of the O’Donovans

Between the early 13th century and the late 16th century – about 1400 castles and towerhouses were built across the island of Ireland. First built by the Normans – and then copied by the Irish Chieftains and lords. According to my reseach – the following are the family names in Ireland during this time who built a castle/towerhouse. Many are still standing and even lived in. Some are ruins – and some more are reduced to just a site.

Donegal Castle, Donegal Town

Is your family name here? Agnew, Archer, Archibold, D’Arcy, Aston, Audley, Baggot,  Balfour, O’Bannon, Barrett, Barry, Bellew, Bellingham, Bermingham, Bissett, Blake, Blennerhassett, Bouchier, Boyle, O’Boyle, Brabazon, Brady, MacBrien, O’Brien, Briscoe, Brown, Browne, Brunker, Burke, Butler, O’Byrne, O’Cahan (Kane), O’Cahill, O’Callaghan,  Campion, Cantillon, Cantwell, Carew, O’Carroll, McCarthy, O’Casey, Caulfield, Cheevers, MacClancy, O’Clery, Cloghessy, Codd, Cogan, Cole, Condon, O’Connor, Cope, Coppinger, Costello, Cotter, DeCourcey, McCoughlan,  Coyne, Creagh, Creighton, O’Crowley, Cuffe and Cusack.

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Rockfleet, County Mayo – O’Malley and Burke

Dalton, Dalway, O’Daly, O’Dea, McDermott, Devereaux, Dillon, O’Doherty, McDonagh, Donnellan, McDonnell, O’Donnell, O’Donnelly, O’Donghue, O’ Donovan, Dowdall, O’Dowd, Dowling, Downing, O’Driscoll, Drummond, Duffy, Dunne, O’Dwyer, MacEgan, McEnery, Esmonde, Eustace, Staunton, McFall, Fallon, O’Farrell, Ferriter, Ffrench, Finnerty, Forbes, Fitzgerald, Fitzgibbon, Fitzmaurice, Fitzpatrick, Fitzstephen, Fitzwilliam, O’Flahery, Fleming, O’Flynn, Fogarty, Forrestal, Fox, Galwey, O’Gara, McGovern, McGeoghegan, McGillicuddy, Glennon, Gore, McGorman, Grace, O’Grady, Grant, McGrath, Gray, Griffin, Gulifoyle, Gunning, Hackett, O’Hagan, O’Hallinan, Hamilton, O’Hanley, O’Hanlon, Hannon, O’Hara, Harrington, Hart, Hayes, Haynes, O’Healy, Hearns, O’Hennessy, McHenry, McHugh, O’Higgins, Hodnett, O’Hogan, Hore, Howel, Howlin, Hume, O’Hurley, Hussey, Hyde, O’Hynes, McInerney

Athenry Castle, Galway – the Bermingham family

Irvine, Johnston, Jones, Jordan, Joyce, Kavanagh, Keane, Kearney, Keating, O’Keefe, O’Kelly, O’Kennedy, Kilkelly, Kirwan, DeLacey, Lambert, McLaughlin, Lawless, O’Leary, Lehane, Locke, Loftus, Lombard, Long, O’Loughlin, Luttrell, Lynch, O’Madden, Magennis, Magner, Magrath, Maguire, McMahon, O’Mahony, O’Malley, O’Mannion, Marshall, Martin, O’Meagher, O’Meara, Mitchell, O’Molloy, Mooney, O’Moore, O’Moriarty, Morris, Mortimer, Mulvihill, Nagle, McNamara, McNeill, O’Neill, Norris, Norton, Nugent, Ormsby

Carrigaphooca, County Cork – a McCarthy Castle.

Parsons, Phelan, Phillips, Plunkett, Power, Prendergast, Purcell, McQuillan, Quinn, Redmond, O’Reilly, Reynolds, Roche, Rocheford, O’Rourke, Rushe, Russell, Ryan, Savage, O’Shaughnessy, Shaw, O’Shea, McSheedy, MacSheehy, Shortall, Sinnott, Stewart, O’Sullivan, Supple, Sutton, MacSweeney, Sweetman, Taafe, Talbot, Tierney, Tobin, Troy, Tuitte, Tyrell,  Wall, Walsh, Whelehan and White.