16th Century Castle For Sale in Co. Galway

Located in a most charming rural setting enjoying wonderful views of bucolic tranquility: to the south lies Slieve Aughty, to the north and east lie pasture and stands of pine, to the west lie the ruins of the eighteenth century Ascendancy Manor, Moyode House, once home to the Galway Blazers and its legendary huntmaster, Burton Persse, a relation of Lady Gregory.

Purchased as a ruin by the American Historian and author James Charles Roy in 1969, the Castle has been largely restored: the walls repointed, the gables rebuilt and reroofed with historic ‘ blue bangors’, many of the floors paved in liscannor stone, window lintels installed and windows glassed.

Additionally Moyode Castle has running water and toilet facilities, septic tank, kitchen, a renovated bawn wall, a magnificent mahogany ” great gate”, and the standard medieval necessity, a huge open fireplace in the Great Hall, fit to roast a bull.

Ceiling heights in the Great Hall are 22ft. With the Castle comes a right of way to the nearby country road.

The history of such buildings, given Ireland’s turbulent past, is mostly locked away in the foggy reaches of myth, imagination and more than the usual dose of blarney. Such is not the case with Moyode Castle. The story of Moyode has been richly chronicled by the previous owner, historian and author Charles James Roy, Massachusetts, USA, in a facinating book ”The Fields of Athenry, A Journey through Irish History” .

The Castle was built around 1575 by the Dolphin Family, who were orignally of Norse descent and came to Ireland with William de Burgo. During the ensuing centuries, Moyode Castle passed through many hands, eventually coming into the possession of the Persse family, well known landowners and huntsmen, who built their Ascendancy Mansion just 300 yards away, which now lies in ruin.

The Castle stands on approx quarter of an acre, with bawn wall, and right of way to the nearest country road. The accommodation conprises: Entrance via mahogany ” Great Gate” to Entrance Hall with obligatory murder hole above, to the right stone spiral stairs ascending, and directly in front is the entrance to; Downstairs Living / Sitting / Bedroom, with Liscannor flagged floor, ornate windows and beamed ceilings. Stone spiral staircase leads upwards to the Great Hall, a most striking room with feature windows, wooden floors, large open fireplace, direct access to the kitchen, and Mezzanine level above, accessed via spiral stairs, which would be suiltable as an open plan bedroom / study / workspace.

The stone spiral staircase leads to the next level with ‘garderobe’ (wc facilities) and Ladies Chamber / Bedroom with vaulted ceiling and wood floor, and upwards to a huge open plan room suitable for use as the Master Suite incorporating Bedroom / Sitting / Living Room, with Liscannor stone floors, several beautifully cut stone windows, and antique wood fire.

A spiral staircase leads up to the loft bedroom, right into the eaves with wooden floors and beams.

The final portion of the historic staircase leads up to the battlments, with fabulous views in all directions.

Distances: Athenry 10 mins, Galway City 30 min drive, Dublin 2 hr drive, M6 Motorway 10 mins.