Castlelyons Castle

Castlelyons Castle, also known as Barrymore, lies in a field next to the village of Castlelyons, in County Cork in Ireland.

The first fortification at this site may have been a royal seat of the petty kingdom of Uí Liatháin until the 12th century. Then the Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland and the Cambro-Norman knight Philip de Barry became lord of the Uí Liatháin lands. Later Barrys became Earls of Barrymore and in the early 13th century built Castlelyons Castle on this site.

By the early 17th century the Barrys resided in their medieval castle at Barryscourt. In 1631 the Earl of Barrymore; David Barry, married Alice Boyle, daughter of the Earl of Cork. He then commenced to build a new mansion on this site, incorporating remains of the old castle. After it was finished Barry moved in and Castlelyons Castle became his main seat.

In the 1640s, during the Confederate's War, the castle became an important English stronghold against the rebel Irish and the headquarters of Sir Charles Vavasour, 1st Baronet of Killingthorpe. After Vavasour had been defeated at Manning Ford Castlelyons Castle was captured by Lord Castlehaven.

In the late 18th century the Earls of Barrymore rarely used the castle as a residence anymore and in 1771 it was accidentally destroyed by a fire caused by careless workmen. It was never rebuilt.

Castlelyons Castle seems to be on private land, so it is not accessible. The remains are quite overgrown, so it is hard to get a good overview of the entire castle. I found a recent sleeping place of a vagabond in an old oven in the castle, so be careful when you do visit. An intriguing ruin.

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