dunmore

Dunmore, from the Irish Dun Mor - Large Fort, lies 15 km north east of Tuam. The original fort was a stronghold of the ancient O'Conor kings, later dispossessed by the Norman de Berminghams. These newcomers built their own stone castle beside the Sinking River here after the conquest of 1235.

The upper section of the present massive structure of four storeys, with wide windows, dates mostly to the 16th or early 17th centuries. On the eastern side of the town, stand the ruins of an Augustinian church, all that remains of the Friary founded by Walter de Bermingham in 1425. The district around Dunmore is noted for its large number of ringforts, circular earthen enclosures of early farmers.