Places:
The Castle

Macroom Castle is said to have been constructed in the reign of King John, 1199-1209, and occupied by the Carew family. It is thought that the castle was built on the site of an earlier stronghold. Its story reflects the trials and tribulations of Irish society over the centuries, passing from the hands of the Carews to the McCarthy Clan , when they became overlords in the region.
In 1650 Bishop Boetius McEgan failed to hold it on behalf of the McCarthys against Cromwellian forces, and McEgan was taken prisoner and hanged at Carrigadrohid. The castle was given, as a reward, to William Penn (whose son founded the state of Pennsylvania) who lived there for some time, and then sold it to the Hollow Sword Blade Company. Similar to the East India Trading Company or the Hudson Bay Trading Company, they were a merchant company who made financial investments in colonial expansion. They eventually sold their interest in the castle to the Bernards of Castle Mahon in Bandon (future Earls of Bandon) who, in turn sold on to the Hedges family. In 1766 Jane Hedges Eyre married Simon White from Bantry House, and the strength of this alliance led to their son, Richard, becoming Earl of Bantry in 1816.
By the end of the 19th century the castle was in the ownership of the glamorous Lady Ardilaun, sister of the last Earl of Bantry, and wife of Arthur Edward Guinness MP, heir of the brewing family. They moved in exciting circles, being friendly with Yeats, and the Laverys, the people that were responsible for developing the Anglo-Irish literary movement. When Macroom Castle was burnt (for the fourth time) during the War of Independence, 1916-22, Lady Ardilaun gave the remains to the Irish people.
The structure dominated the skyline of Macroom until the 1960s when, in a dangerous condition, it had to be demolished. Some parts of the castle are still to be seen in the grounds of the castle demesne, which is a public park, with beautiful riverway walks, situated in the heart of the town. The castle walls with old stone, arches and guns providing an elegant centre for the town but were built in a much later, romantic era. The most impressive view, of the almost intact west front of the keep, is from the Sullane Bridge at the western end of town..