Castle of Ballinalack, Westmeath Ireland. Anyone familiar with any information about this historical castle?

Question

This castle existed in 1400's In Westmeath Ireland...was destroyed in Bloody War of 1462 anyone know of any history on it?

Answer 1

The annals report that In 1406 Christopher Ledwich died and his son William aged 30 seized in fee the Castle of Ballinalack and a fishery on the river Inny.

That's all I know I'm afraid.

LEDWICH:

This family was established in Co. Meath at least as early as 1270; they are included among the leading gentry of that country in1329. Later they spread to Co. Westmeath where Ledwichtown indicates their location. By 1598 they are found also among the gentry of Co. Kilkenny. Rev. Edward Ledwich (1737-1823), the antiquary, states that they were originally a German family settled in Cheshire, England, who came to Ireland with De Burgo in 1200, when they obtained land in Co. Westmeath. The Ledwich Medical School in Dublin was named after his grandson, Thomas Ledwich (1823-1858). Francis Ledwidge (1891-1917), laborer and poet, came from the same area. (information from a book on Anglo-Irish Families.)

Answer 2

Ballinahinch see edit update in sources:

Bellanaleck or better Ballinahinch if you want to research this
on the web. Means "ford of the flag stones"also "baile-ne-leac" town of the flag stones.

We are dealing with the issue of spelling, that the "Ballinahinch
Castle" that one locates is a home, now a hotel, build by a Martin in the early 18th century. I tried most spellings and located little but vague reference. Perhaps your source might have helped but it also could be from a work of fiction?

But I located hints, of a castle ruins in the area,

In 1798 the English, General Nugent, burned the town fighting Irish rebels. Cromwell's army was in the town during the Civil War.

The Works of William Makepeace Thackeray: in twenty-four volumes. by William Makepeace Thackeray - 1869
... the last and prettiest part of the journey s round the Lake of Ballinahinch, A land-pirate used to live in that castle, one of the peasants told me,(Thackeray describes ruins next to the lake)
:in the time of Cromwell) still that is not 1462.


The History and Topography of the County of Clare: from the earliest times to the beginning of... -
by James Frost - 1893 - 654 pages
Part of the east wall of a castle stands in the townland of ... East, and the remains of another castle are found at Ballinahinch. ..Page 155. the author notes that the ruins were not on a 1580 listing.


Good luck; unless you are in the UK or Ireland this is not going to be easy.

Answer 3

The Ballinalacken Castle is a stone tower house located 2,5 miles away from the town of Doolin, the so-called capital of Irish traditional music. Just a few metres from it stands the family house that Lord O'Brien built to live in, restored now for the accommodation of guests tempted by the quietness and the extraordinary beauty of the landscape. The medieval fortress is just one of the many castles and towers that the O'Briens left behind in the region of County Clare, in western Ireland. The family owns the title of Barons of Inquichin since 1651 and descends directly from Brian Boru, the king that ruled the country in the eleventh century: this blood line makes them one of the few native Gaelic families and ensures them quite a few adventures along the history of Ireland, specially during the Eleven Years War, the civil conflict that took place in the country during the 17th century, and the Cromwellian conquest of the lands

Established mainly in Dromoland Castle (today located near Shannon airport, in County Clare too), many members of the O'Brien clan owned properties throughout Ireland. At first, these strongholds such as Ballinalacken`s were built for protection from invaders, so near as they were from the brink of the open ocean, but gradually they became crucial assets in conflicts between clan alliances. The basements of Ballinalacken Castle are thought to have been set as far as the 10th century, by another famous Irish clan, the O'Connor's, who ruled West Corcomroe in those times. The fortress was finally founded in the 14th century and Lochlan MacCon O'Connor was in charge of its first rebuilding. In 1564, the control over West Corcomroe passed to the O`Briens and years later the castle was granted to Turlough O'Brien, a member of the family living in Ennistymon. After his death, it was Turlough`s son Daniel who inherited the property, and was able to keep it till the beginning of the Eleven Years War, in 1641: this conflict broke out between native Irish Catholics and Protestant British settlers, and got even worse when Oliver Cromwell conquered the lands in 1653

At this point politics begin to meddle with the history of the Ballinalacken Castle. As Turlough claimed to be on the Irish side but simultaneously helped English settlers, he was sent to prison and fined: five of his castles in Ireland were demolished and the Ballinalacken was sentenced to the same fate. Fortunately, an appeal saved it from disappearing from western Ireland's landscape, and centuries later tourists from the whole world can enjoy its stunning views of the Burren, a rocky region gifted with high cliffs and ancient ruins that surrounds the hotel. But going back to the history of the castle, once Daniel O`Brien passed away, his grandson Donough became master of Ballinalacken, and it was not till 1840 that the clan built the family home just beside it, an old country manor building that has been fully restored to accommodate guests

Answer 4

First, faint. Then, probable declare the citadel, yet i'd not take my relatives over there today, not with the wars. The bombings scare the crap out of me. If it were in a non violent time and the citadel were in a non violent section, i might want to take my "relatives" over there. all of them. The citadel must be large adequate to carry each and each and every side. Then i might want to shuttle as a concepts throughout the time of eire as i might want to, and likely invite the band Celtic Thunder to the citadel. My fav band, and they take position to be Irish. ~Fireshadow