Oola Castle
| Oola Castle | |
|---|---|
| Native name Caisleán Úlla (Irish) | |
| 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
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
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 arrow heads of bronze were found. Both were placed in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin.
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
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
- ^ "Ireland From My Lens Photography By Liam Mcnamara". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "oola castle". ie.geoview.info.
- ^ Measom, George S. (December 24, 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.
- ^ https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/6377691/Parke_s_Castle_second_edit.pdf
- ^ "Imprinted Concrete Oola, Pattern Imprinted Concrete Oola". askeatonpaving.ie.
- ^ Massey, Ann (November 3, 2017). "Spooky Ireland through the lens of photographer Liam McNamara".
- ^ "OOLA | Visit Ballyhoura".
- ^ "Frowning Ruins: The Tower Houses of Medieval Ireland". January 24, 2013.