Parke’s Castle
Set on the shores of Lough Gill, Parke’s Castle is one of the most beautifully situated castles in Ireland. The name Parke’s Castle derives from the English planter Captain Robert Parke, who established a fortified manor house during his time here between 1628–1671. But the site of Parke’s Castle has a longer history, as it was once the seat of the powerful O’Rourkes who were Kings of Bréifne for centuries. At that time it was known as New Town Castle. It was likely constructed as a late medieval towerhouse, and commanded the eastern part of Lough Gill, in conjunction with another O’Rourke towerhouse that was positioned a little further to the southeast along the shore of the lake. You can dig deeper into the history of the O’Rourkes below.
The castle we see today largely reflect the fortified manor house built by Captain Robert Parke. It is thought that Parke chose the site of the older tower house as it was still surrounded by a rock cut ditch, and likely still had at least substantial parts of its surrounding bawn wall intact. The lower floors of the building may also have survived, and it would have provided a handy source of cut stone to quarry and recycle into his new manor.
The castle today is most notable for its fine gatehouse. It stands three storeys tall, with an entrance framed by an elegant doorway that leads through a passage into the courtyard of the castle. The gatehouse was likely the initial accommodation for Parke and his family, before the large manor house was added. The walls of the manor house incorporated part of the bawn wall, though dramatically increasing the original height. Fashionable mullioned windows were added, with three in the first floor, and additional windows in the second floor above. Inside the manor house you can see exhibitions and dioramas of life for the Parke family in the castle. The distinctive corner towers were also heavily modified by Parke, and later by reconstruction. Especially the north-west corner tower that was restored using local Leitrim sandstone. The tower at the north-east was incorporated by Parke as extra living space.
Outside the manor house and gatehouse, the bawn walls of O’Rourke’s castle were extended and modified by Parke, with gun loops added as a way to modernise the defensive capabilities. A number of dovecotes are set into the walls, providing the castle was a source of meat and fertiliser, and you can see a well and outbuildings containing farming equipment. Most notably, you can also see the foundations of the O’Rourke towerhouse that was revealed during the excavations (more on that below).
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Set on the shores of Lough Gill, Parke’s Castle is one of the most beautifully situated castles in Ireland. The name Parke’s Castle derives from the English planter Captain Robert Parke, who established a fortified manor house during his time here between 1628–1671. But the site of Parke’s Castle has a longer history, as it was once the seat of the powerful O’Rourkes who were Kings of Bréifne for centuries. At that time it was known as New Town Castle. It was likely constructed as a late medieval towerhouse, and commanded the eastern part of Lough Gill, in conjunction with another O’Rourke towerhouse that was positioned a little further to the southeast along the shore of the lake. You can dig deeper into the history of the O’Rourkes below.
The castle we see today largely reflect the fortified manor house built by Captain Robert Parke. It is thought that Parke chose the site of the older tower house as it was still surrounded by a rock cut ditch, and likely still had at least substantial parts of its surrounding bawn wall intact. The lower floors of the building may also have survived, and it would have provided a handy source of cut stone to quarry and recycle into his new manor.
The castle today is most notable for its fine gatehouse. It stands three storeys tall, with an entrance framed by an elegant doorway that leads through a passage into the courtyard of the castle. The gatehouse was likely the initial accommodation for Parke and his family, before the large manor house was added. The walls of the manor house incorporated part of the bawn wall, though dramatically increasing the original height. Fashionable mullioned windows were added, with three in the first floor, and additional windows in the second floor above. Inside the manor house you can see exhibitions and dioramas of life for the Parke family in the castle. The distinctive corner towers were also heavily modified by Parke, and later by reconstruction. Especially the north-west corner tower that was restored using local Leitrim sandstone. The tower at the north-east was incorporated by Parke as extra living space.
Outside the manor house and gatehouse, the bawn walls of O’Rourke’s castle were extended and modified by Parke, with gun loops added as a way to modernise the defensive capabilities. A number of dovecotes are set into the walls, providing the castle was a source of meat and fertiliser, and you can see a well and outbuildings containing farming equipment. Most notably, you can also see the foundations of the O’Rourke towerhouse that was revealed during the excavations (more on that below).
For practical information about visiting this site Click Here
Parke’s Castle • Leitrim
The History of Parke’s Castle and the O’Rourke Kings of Bréifne
The gatehouse of Parke’s Castle
At its apogee in the 12th century, the Kingdom of Bréifne encompassed a territory broadly equivalent to the modern counties of Leitrim, Cavan and Longford, with smaller parts of Sligo, Meath and Fermanagh. The O’Rourke dynasty emerged from the Uí Briúin Bréifne in AD 898, when the Annals record the death of King Ruarc. He appears to be the origin point for the surname, as his grandson Fergal used the name Ua Ruairc (Fergal of Ruarc). The most famous historical O’Rourke was Tigernán Ua Ruairc (also known as Tiernán O’Rourke, or Tiernan Mór). He became the King of Bréifne in 1124, and forged a fearsome reputation, becoming known as the War Dog. One of the most consequential rivalries he had was with the King of Leinster Diarmait Mac Murchadha. When Mac Murchada famously abducted Tigernán’s wife Dervorgilla, it served as a key catalyst that led to the Norman invasion into Ireland, and Tigernán’s bloody end at the Hill of Ward in 1172.
Throughout the 13th century, the O’Rourkes tried to hold their ground as the Kings of Bréifne against Norman incursions and their local rivals the O’Reillys, who saw in the Normans an opportunity to gain powerful allies in their long struggle with the O’Rourkes. The O’Rourke fortunes ebbed and flowed throughout the medieval period. As treaties with the De Burghs and O’Reillys, and alliances with the neighbouring Kingdom of Connacht, were made, broken, remade and re-broken over time, complicated by occasional power struggles and infighting between members of the O’Rourke family themselves.
The first mention of an O’Rourke base where Parke’s Castle stands today, comes from the later medieval period, where the Annals of Loch Cé, recorded that in the year 1546:
‘Treachery was practised by the sons of Alexander MacCaba against O’Ruairc in his own town, i.e. the Baile Nua.’
The gatehouse of Parke’s Castle
This Baile Nua, or New Town, was believed to be a significant settlement established by the O’Rourkes. Though it was long believed to have been located at the nearby O’Rourke towerhouse known as Castle Dooroy, set just 400m or so to the south-east, along the shore of Lough Gill. It wasn’t until archaeological excavations were carried out at Parke’s Castle under the direction of Claire Foley in the 1970s, that the foundations of a large, late medieval towerhouse were discovered in the courtyard area of Parke’s Castle, and identified as being the more likely site of the Baile Nua.
The Annals of Loch Cé also contain another important reference in the year 1581. When it reported that:
‘O’Ruairc’s new town, and Druim-dhá-eithiar [Dromahair], i.e. O’Ruairc’s usual residence, were broken down at the same time by O’Ruairc himself, for fear the Saxons would occupy them.’
The increasing pressure due to the strong English garrison at Sligo, had made holding this part of West Leitrim largely untenable, so it appears Brian O’Rourke cut his losses by slighting his own castle. Things would go from bad to worse for the O’Rourke dynasty. Brian was a strong-minded Gaelic chieftain, and he came into increasing conflict with the English. He was once described by the English Lord Deputy Sir Henry Sydney, who said: ‘for O’Rourke, I found him the proudest man that ever I dealt with in Ireland’. The relations soured further, when he sheltered survivors of the Spanish Armada, including Francisco de Cuéllar, who wrote an account of his time in Ireland: ‘This man, though a savage, is a very good Christian and a great enemy of heretics, and always at war with them. He is called Senor O’Rourke’. This was against the wishes of the notoriously vindictive and cruel Governor of Connacht, Sir Richard Bingham. For this, and other ‘transgressions’ against the English, Brian O’Rourke was eventually captured and brought the the Tower of London. He was put on trial, found guilty and hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.
During the bloody Nine Years War at the end of the 16th century, Brian Oge O’Rourke (son of the previously mentioned Brian who slighted the castle) was an important ally of Hugh O’Donnell. Although it appears he changed sides more than once. He became the last Gaelic Chieftain to surrender to the English. His half-brother, Tadhg O’Rourke, fought on the English side, and he was rewarded with the lands and titles of the O’Rourkes.
They did not stay in the family’s hands for long. After Tadhg’s death in 1606, his young son Brian inherited. As a child, Brian became a Ward of the Crown, though both he and his brother were then declared illegitimate and all the O’Rourke lands in Bréifne then became the possession of the Crown, and the Plantation of Leitrim began.
The Plantation of Leitrim and Arrival of Captain Robert Parke
A view of the interior of Parke’s Castle
By disinheriting the young Brian O’Rourke and his brother, the English had created a power vacuum in the region. This left them with relatively little opposition in the plans to establish a plantation at Leitrim. Around 70,000 acres of land was dispersed to planter families. The land containing the remains of the O’Rourke stronghold at New Town eventually came into the possession of Captain Robert Parke.
Parke refounded and settled the village. By all accounts, he appears to have been a somewhat pragmatic figure, who tried to maintain balance and good relations with both the local Irish gentry and tenants, as well as with the new settlers and administration. This was no doubt put to the test during the turbulent years of the Confederacy Rebellion and subsequent Cromwellian wars of the middle of the 17th century. Though he remained an important figure in the region until his death in 1671.
The castle passed to his daughter Ann, who was the wife of Sir Francis Gore. Parke’s Castle would eventually be abandoned, and it appears as a ruin in 18th century antiquarian depictions. The castle was declared a national monument and came into state ownership. Following the excavations, conservation and restoration works were carried out by the Office of Public Works (OPW). Today Parke’s Castle is a wonderful place to visit, especially given its truly beautiful setting on the shores of Lough Gill.
Parke’s Castle features on two of our itineraries – Sligo and Lough Gill and the Leitrim Itinerary. Both unlock the lovely landscape of Leitrim and this part of Sligo, featuring megalithic tombs, medieval castles, ancient monasteries and more. Exclusively available for Tuatha Members.
A view of the interior of Parke’s Castle
The Plantation of Leitrim and Arrival of Captain Robert Parke
By disinheriting the young Brian O’Rourke and his brother, the English had created a power vacuum in the region. This left them with relatively little opposition in the plans to establish a plantation at Leitrim. Around 70,000 acres of land was dispersed to planter families. The land containing the remains of the O’Rourke stronghold at New Town eventually came into the possession of Captain Robert Parke.
Parke refounded and settled the village. By all accounts, he appears to have been a somewhat pragmatic figure, who tried to maintain balance and good relations with both the local Irish gentry and tenants, as well as with the new settlers and administration. This was no doubt put to the test during the turbulent years of the Confederacy Rebellion and subsequent Cromwellian wars of the middle of the 17th century. Though he remained an important figure in the region until his death in 1671.
The castle passed to his daughter Ann, who was the wife of Sir Francis Gore. Parke’s Castle would eventually be abandoned, and it appears as a ruin in 18th century antiquarian depictions. The castle was declared a national monument and came into state ownership. Following the excavations, conservation and restoration works were carried out by the Office of Public Works (OPW). Today Parke’s Castle is a wonderful place to visit, especially given its truly beautiful setting on the shores of Lough Gill.
Parke’s Castle features on two of our itineraries – Sligo and Lough Gill and the Leitrim Itinerary. Both unlock the lovely landscape of Leitrim and this part of Sligo, featuring megalithic tombs, medieval castles, ancient monasteries and more. Exclusively available for Tuatha Members.
Upper left: the foundations of the O’Rourke towerhouse known as Newtown Castle • Lower left: the eastern wall • Right: an aerial view of the castle
Top: the foundations of the O’Rourke towerhouse known as Newtown Castle • Middle: an aerial view of the castle • Bottom: the eastern wall
Parke’s Castle Visitor Information
One of the most beautifully situated castles in Ireland, Parke’s Castle is well worth exploring.
