The Carrigaholt Castle is a tower house, built by the MacMahon lords in the late 15th century. The castle featured spiral stairs, a stone vaulted roof and after being modified in the 17th century, new windows, fireplaces and chimneys in the fashionable style of the time.
While built for defence, tower houses were not designed to withstand siege, and unfortunately the castle was sieged in 1599, resulting in its defenders being hanged. You can read more of the fascinating history of the castle via the information boards leading up to the ruins. You will learn of the MacMahons and the O’Briens, and the impact the English Civil War and Oliver Cromwell had.
From this point you can enjoy the views of the mouth of the Shannon river, the longest river in Ireland and Britain. The Shannon has been visited by Vikings and the Spanish Armada, and if you are lucky, you might even see dolphins on your visit - the Shannon estuary has the largest population of resident bottle-nose dolphins in Europe.
The cache is in a collapsible freezer box. Please replace the cache exactly as you find it. There is car parking nearby.
Happy caching!