ballymote castle

Probably built by Richard de Burgo in 1300, this was possibly the strongest castle in Connacht. The castle was probably captured by the O'Conors in 1317, but was taken from them in the course of local struggles by Mac Diarmada in 1347. By 1381 it had passed to the MacDonaghs. Although attached to Tadhg MacDiarmada in 1561, it had apparently passed to O'Conor Sligo by 1571, at which time he surrendered the castle and had it regranted to him by the English. In 1577 the castle fell into English hands for a few months, and then more permanently in 1584 when it was taken by Richard Bingham. The O'Conors, O'Hartes and O'Dowdes burned it in 1588. The English surrendered it in 1598 to the MacDonaghs who sold it shortly afterwards to the O'Donnells. It was from here that O'Donnell marched to the disastrous Battle of Kinsale in 1601. When the O'Donnells surrendered it to the English in 1602, it was already in a bad state of repair. By 1633 the Taffes owned it, but they had to surrender it in 1652.