We would like to dedicate this blog to our father Eugene Michael McMahon. His mother Catherine Creagh arrived in the US in 1914 and his father Thomas McMahon arrived in the US in 1909. They both landed on Ellis Island. They were married and Catherine died when my dad was 2. He was separated from his siblings and was raised by his aunt on the Creagh side. Mark McMahon has inspired this blog by sharing with me his passion for finding our McMahon ancestors.
Friday, March 22, 2013
1640 – Lemenagh Castle, Co. Clare
Lemenagh Castle was both a castle (1480) and fortified house (1640) and was one of the principal strongholds of the O’Brien’s. The fortified house was built by Conor O’Brien who was married to Maura Rua McMahon or Red Mary. An inscription is found over the entrance porch in the following words: “This was built in the year of our Lord 1648, by Connor O’Brien, and by Mary-ni-Mahone, wife of the said Connor.”
Often tower houses were completely incorporated into larger houses and buildings as thge need for security diminished. Here, an early seventeenth century addition was made by Maire Rua McMahon onto a late fifteenth century O’Brien tower house. Lemenagh Castle may be seen as the link in the transition from the early castles and tower houses of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the later unfortified country houses of the landed gentry.
Conor O’Brien who was married to Maura Rua McMahon or Red Mary, returned from battle seriously injured, but she refused him admittance on the grounds that she believed he was dead. Eventually he was allowed in but died shortly thereafter, possibly by her hand. Red Mary remarried to improve her position.
Source: http://archiseek.com/2009/lemenagh-castle-co-clare/#.UXBHe2go7lY
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