Researched and written by Professor Etienne Rynne
For about five centuries Athenry Castle has been abandoned, roofless and fallen into a ruinous state. In 1990 however,
the National Monuments Branch of the Office of Public Works started work on its restoration, following on some minor
excavations within the curtain wall and have now completed their work and the castle is now open to the public.must
have been built by about 1240, because in 1241 Meiler was sufficiently well ensconced there to invite the Dominicans
to come and build their priory in the town.
The remains reveal at least three main phases of buildings (Fig 1). The original keep was low and squat, the roof
being at the level of the present second floor (Fig. 2). This can be seen by the two large holes (for draining away
roof-water) halfway up in each gable. Shortly afterwards the castle was raised in height by another story (also 13th
cent. c.1250?), while in the 15th century the gable-ends were raised to accommodate a new and higher roof rising above
the battlements. The present basement vault is an insertion.
Entrance to the castle was by an external wooden stairs leading to a decorated doorway in the east wall at first floor
level. Two fine windows remain at this level, both carved like the doorway -- such carved work is unique to Athenry Castle
though quite common in ecclesiastical buildings. Also unique to Athenry castle is that over its doorway was a small
canopy-like affair, traces of which remain; this consisted of slabs projecting from the wall above the doorway.
Access from the first floor to the second floor was by a wooden stairs (as no trace of any other stairs remain, this must
have been so), and from the second to the third floor by an intra-mural stairway (within the east wall, beginning roughly above the doorway).
The main room (1st floor) also had a grade-robe or latrine at its north-western corner, consisting of a projecting 'room',
only part of which still remains.
The keep was built close enough to the north-western part roof the surrounding curtain-wall to allow it to overlook the wall,
thus making a wall-tower at this point unnecessary. Wall-towers, however, were built at the north-east and south-east corners of the curtain-wall,
while the south-western corner was fortified by the gate (now a modern replacement, but undoubtedly originally strong and adequately fortified).
The castle seems to have generally been cold and dark; there are no windows at second floor level, and no fireplaces anywhere; the fire was probably
centrally placed in the upper room, the smoke escaping through a louvre or opening in the center of the roof. In the 15th century the Berminghams moved
from it to their town house near the market cross in the square.
(c) 2000 Etienne Rynne
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