Carriganass Castle

Carriganass Castle is a 16th century tower house, which is situated about 8 kilometres from Bantry, near the village of Kealkill, in West Cork. The name comes from the Irish Caisleán Carraig an Easa, which means ‘the castle on the rock of the waterfall’.

It is believed that Dermot O Sullivan, a member of the O’Sullivan Beare clan, who had immense power in Cork during the 16th and early 17th century, built Carriganass in 1540. The castle passed on the various members of the O’ Sullivan clan during a period o internal feuding lasting until 1601, when the clan untied to support Hugh O’Neill in the Battle of Kinsale. Following the English victory at the battle of Kinsale, a commander, Sir George Carew, pursued the O’Sullivan forces back to their base on the Beara Penninsula.

A small garrison was left at Carriganass whilst the bulk of the O’Sullivan forces returned to Dunboy Castle. Through this, Carew and his men easily captured Carriganass before moving on to lay siege to Dunboy. The O’Sullivans were subsequently dispossessed and the Castle passed into ownership of the Barrett’s who owned it until the 1930’s. During their tenure, the Barrett’s built on an additional house, which has since deteriorated into the ruin that it is now.

Although the castle itself is now in ruins, it is still a magnificent piece of history that stands alone and overgrows.