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 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Tower house |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 53°22′35″N 8°40′42″W / 53.376314°N 8.678259°W |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Stone |
| Events | Commemorative 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. 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.
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. The demesne lands surrounding Monivea Castle were worked directly for the benefit of the landlord. Further outlying lands were rented out for farming. 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.