Oola Castle
| Oola Castle | |
|---|---|
| Native name Irish: Caisleán Úlla | |
| Oolla Castle | |
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1542131.jpg) | |
| Type | Tower house |
| Location | Oolahills East, Oola, County Limerick, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°31′41″N 8°14′31″W / 52.528075°N 8.241964°W |
| Built | c. 1550–1600 |
  Location of Oola Castle in Ireland | |
Oola Castle is a tower house located in County Limerick, Ireland.[1]
Location[edit]
Oola Castle is located 1 km (0.62 mi) east of the village of Oola. It lies in the Golden Vale, 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Limerick.[2]
It should not be confused with the castle in Ballyneety nearby, which is sometimes called "Oola Castle."[3]
History[edit]
The current building dates to the late 16th century and was built by the O'Briens.[4] It is classified as a "later" tower house; according to Claire Foley and Colm Donnelly, "greater provision of heat and light, married to Renaissance concepts of symmetry, was incorporated into the traditional building form to create a new tower-house paradigm, as expressed at buildings such as Oola [Castle]."[5]
In 1825, antlers of the Irish elk were discovered; and, in 1828, a bronze trumpet, spear and arrowheads of bronze were found. Both were placed in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin.[citation needed]
A local legend concerns a princess named Theresa who lived in the castle in the 18th century; she was very fond of oranges and was later forced to move to County Cavan for unclear reasons.[6][7]
Castle[edit]
The castle is a square six-storey limestone tower house. There are circular bartizans on the northeast and southwest corners. The upper windows have hood moulding, and the east and west walls have their original fireplaces.[8]
When it was in use, it would have had whitewashed walls, gables crowned with chimneys and mullioned windows.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ Donnelly, Colm (2011). "The Tower Houses of Co. Limerick". In Brown, Sarah; Stalley, Roger (eds.). Limerick and South-West Ireland: Medieval Art and Architecture (1 ed.). Routledge. pp. 189–201. doi:10.4324/9781003077206-12. ISBN 978-1-003-07720-6. S2CID 114897081.
- ^ "oola castle". ie.geoview.info.
- ^ Measom, George S. (24 December 1870). "The Official Illustrated Guide to the Great Southern & Western Railway, and an Account of Some of the Most Important Manufactories in the Towns on the Line ... Embellished with Numerous Engravings. (Second Edition.)". C. Griffin&Company – via Google Books.
- ^ "Oola County Limerick". RTÉ Archives.
- ^ Foley, Claire; Donnelly, Colm (2012), Parke's Castle, Co. Leitrim: archaeology, history and architecture (PDF), Archaeological monograph series, vol. 7, Dublin: The Stationery Office, ISBN 978-1-4064-2714-1
- ^ "Imprinted Concrete Oola, Pattern Imprinted Concrete Oola". askeatonpaving.ie.
- ^ Massey, Ann (3 November 2017). "Spooky Ireland through the lens of photographer Liam McNamara".
- ^ "OOLA | Visit Ballyhoura". Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "Frowning Ruins: The Tower Houses of Medieval Ireland". 24 January 2013.
