Dunguaire and Other Hynes and O'Shaughnessy Castles and Abbeys - Softcover

Hynes, James Patrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1520114710 ISBN 13: 9781520114712

Publisher: Independently published, 2017

Synopsis

All the information in this book appears in my books ‘The Hynes of Ireland’ and ‘The O’Shaughnessys’ but this book ‘Dunguaire Castle and Other Castles of the Hynes and O’Shaughnessys’ has been compiled and presented to readers having a special interest in typical Irish tower houses and fortifications.According to the website ‘Curious Ireland’, Dunguaire (pronounced Dungoora) is said to be the most photographed castle in Ireland. This fortified tower house was built in 1520 by the O’Hynes clan within yards of the ancient fort of Guaire the Generous, a seventh century King of Connaught. The poets referred to that ‘palace’ as:The white sheeted fort of soft stonesHabitation of poets and bishops.The mid -seventeenth century ‘Act for the Settlement of Ireland’ dispossessed the Ui hEidhne , Hynes, clan whose castles were seized and lost to them forever. Since then the castle has passed through several notable owners undergoing a complete restoration by the Lady Ampthill in the late 1920’s. Lady Ampthill attained fame as a principal protagonist in the famous Russell divorce case, also called ‘the Ampthill baby case’, a series of court proceedings related to the conception of Geoffrey Russell and the possibility of a virgin birth! Her story and other historically associated events involving the castle feature in ‘The Hynes of Ireland’ and ‘The O’Shaughnessys’. Today the castle is the property of the Shannon Development Company, open during the summer months to visitors during the day and paying guests at ‘medieval’ banquets in the evenings. Its website tells us: “An evening of superb food and wines along with renowned music, song and storytelling awaits you at Dunguaire Castle Banquet on the majestic shores of Galway Bay.”The castles described here do feature in my books about these two ancient related Irish families but this book confines itself to descriptions and illustrations ( some fifty of them) of the buildings and architecture of these typical Irish tower houses of which there were hundreds in Ireland; most of them now in ruins. At least one Hynes castle has a ghost while one O’Shaughnessy castle claimed infamy as the site of a family duel which resulted in the death of the two duellists and another was burnt to the ground along with its inhabitants by Cromwellian troops in 1651.

About this edition

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1520114710
• ISBN 13: 9781520114712
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 70