Ballindooley Castle is one of a number of Castles in Castlegar, County Galway, Ireland.
- Townland - Ballindooley
- Other names - Ballindooly.
- Look inside Ballindooley Castle on Youtube and outside.
- It is believed to be a De Burgo House and is built on the right hand side of the Galway to Headford road. This is a National Road, designated the N84. The De Burgo's (Burke - Clanricard) had Terryland Castle, and Castlegar Village Castle as well.
- Coordinates : 53.308401, -9.028284.
- Elevation; 60 feet.
- This castle is unusually close to the road (relatively new); a few yards (metres), perhaps. The original road would have been the higher one to the North which passes through the Village and still exists today (see old map below).
- Ownership
De Burgos.
"Ballindooley Castle was occupied by the Skerett family in 1810, owned by Lord Clanmorris in 1835" ... Sean Spellissy .
1988 - Hegarty replaces the local Hogan Family.
and throws a Party for the Natives in 1990, which they enjoyed.
2013 -Put on the Market for Sale with an asking price of 695,000 Euros at one point (ref. http://www.premierpropertiesireland.com/?p=6580 ).
2016 - sold in October, 2016 for 328,000 Euros - http://www.pprwatch.com/details/227918/ballindooley-castle-headford-road-galway-galway
And a Mr. Barry Haughian has it since.
- Ballindooley Castle may technically be, a Tower House.
- The Pastures that it looks to, would have been underwater at the time, and offered some defense as well as a navigation vehicle.
- Turrets or Castelatted features were common and Psychological in Nature - offering a few feet worth of height for less expense and breaking its outline with the Sky.
- Ballindooley Lake.
- Listed Status.
And currently on the Development Plan for 2023-2030, as a Protected Structure.
Video, below, 2021.
1840 Map - For free and useful maps with copyright statement,
see http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/Library/1842OSMaps/
- In the Photograph above, you can see it in its renovated state - taken from the back road of Ballindooley Village to the North of the Castle.
- Its exterior was rough-dashed, presumably to offer some weather protection. It may also be the case that that rough dash was a common rendering practice and applied to castles of a particular period.
- You may notice the narrow windows, a defensive architectural strategy which was common in castles and not a phobia about sunlight.
- In the 1980's and if you had nerve enough, you could climb this Castle - and so could livestock. So someone might have nudged a few steps from the spiral stair case (hear say - folklore).
- Behind or bearing South-West, is the Ballindooley Lake .
^ South Face, with the Hills of Ballindooley in the background. Those Cattle, are one the North side of the Headford Rd. which can't even be seen from this perpective.
Helga Gun Boat ??
- Some reports suggest that the Helga fired a few shells towards Ballindooley at the beginning of the 1916 Rising, to disband Rebels who were supposed to be gathered to march on the City?
- See a photo of her at http://www.ict.mic.ul.ie/websites/2002/MichelleGeraldine_Carey/gunboat.htm
- "The Helga was later bought by the Irish Free State and, having been renamed the LE Muirchu, became a fishery protection vessel until it was eventually scrapped in 1947" ref. http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/easterrising/eventfultimes/
- Another suggestion is that it may have been the HMS Gloucester and not the Helga at all. Ref. Jmcg.
- "Trust the Locals" -"Love is Blind but the Neighbours, aren't", A trusted source says that he'd have heard of such a shelling, if it happened - this Observer, believes him.
- "were put on a trawler converted for minsesweeping called the ‘Guillemot’. The ship’s gun fired 14 shells in the direction of Castlegar, the prisoners were told that they were firing at “a meeting of rebels”. See Galway Civic Trust