Oola Castle

Oola Castle is a tower house located in County Limerick, Ireland.[1]

Oola Castle
Native name
Irish: Caisleán Úlla
Oolla Castle
TypeTower house
LocationOolahills East, Oola, County Limerick, Ireland
Coordinates52.528075°N 8.241964°W / 52.528075; -8.241964
Builtc. 1550–1600
Location of Oola Castle in Ireland

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
View of Oola 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
  1. "Ireland From My Lens Photography By Liam Mcnamara". www.facebook.com.
  2. "oola castle". ie.geoview.info.
  3. 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.
  4. "Oola County Limerick". RTÉ Archives.
  5. https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/6377691/Parke_s_Castle_second_edit.pdf
  6. "Imprinted Concrete Oola, Pattern Imprinted Concrete Oola". askeatonpaving.ie.
  7. Massey, Ann (November 3, 2017). "Spooky Ireland through the lens of photographer Liam McNamara".
  8. "OOLA | Visit Ballyhoura".
  9. "Frowning Ruins: The Tower Houses of Medieval Ireland". January 24, 2013.
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