Monivea Castle

Monivea Castle
Monivea, County Galway, Ireland
Monivea Castle with the original Anglo-Norman tower house to the right. The later mansion was built up against its north, west and south walls
Coordinates53°22′35″N 8°40′42″W / 53.376314°N 8.678259°W / 53.376314; -8.678259
TypeTower house
Site information
Open to
the public		Yes
Site history
MaterialsStone
EventsCommemorative Mass in Mausoleum, 22 April, annually (anniversary of Robert Percy's death)

Monivea Castle (Irish: Caisleán Mhuine Mheá) is a former O'Kelly tower house, located near Monivea in County Galway, Ireland.[1][2] It was acquired by the ffrench family, one of the fourteen Tribes of Galway, who developed it further, enhancing the lands and building the Monivea Castle—all increasing the fortification around the original Norman tower.[3][4][5][6][7]

In 1876, the Monivea Castle estate took in 10,121 acres of land, including the features of the tower house ruins, Monivea Castle itself, the ffrench Mausoleum and Monivea Woods.[8][9] The demesne lands surrounding Monivea Castle were worked directly for the benefit of the landlord.[10] Further outlying lands were rented out for farming.[10][11] Estate farmers and domestic servants lived in the surrounding region, the town of Monivea taking shape from this initial population, homes and servicing merchant posts.[10][11][12]

  1. ^ County Galway Guide. "Monivea Castle". Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  2. ^ NUI Galway. "Estate: ffrench (Monivea)". Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  3. ^ Pine, L.G., ed. (1958), Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland. 4th ed., London: Burke's Peerage, pp. 272–273
  4. ^ Thom, Alexander (1852), Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory, 1852, London: Alexander Thom, Printer and Publisher, Library of Harvard, p. 555
  5. ^ Burke, C.B., LL.D., Sir Bernard (1871), A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, London: Library of Princeton University, Elizabeth Foundation, p. 471{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ O'Laughlin, Michael C. (200), County Galway, Ireland, Genealogy & Family History, Ireland: Irish Genealogical Foundation, pp. 92, 93, ISBN 978-0-940134-82-9
  7. ^ Melvin, Patrick (1996), The Galway Tribes as Landowners and Gentry. In MORAN, Gerard (ed) Galway: History & Society, Dublin: Geography Publications, pp. 319–374
  8. ^ Lombard, Jean (2010), Irish Woman in Czarist Russia, Dublin, Ireland: Ashfield Press, pp. 105, 108, ISBN 978-1-901658-78-1
  9. ^ French Family Association: The Official Website of the Surname French. "Chart #IREH, ffrenches of Monivea Castle, Co. Galway, Ireland". Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  10. ^ a b c Genet, Jacqueline (1991), The Big House in Western Ireland: Reality and Representation, Kerry, Ireland: Brandon Book Publishers Ltd, pp. 21, 24, 48, 50
  11. ^ a b Young, Arthur (2000), A Tour in Ireland: with General Observations on the Present State of that Kingdom: made in the Years 1776, 1777, and 1778. And Brought down to the End of 1779: Volume 2, Adamant Media Corporation, pp. 80, 154, ISBN 978-0-543-88692-7
  12. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard (1912), BURKE, Sir Bernard. A genealogical and heraldic history of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, London: Harrison & Sons, p. 223