The haunting moss-covered mounds that remain in the place where the proud Castle Dunboy once stood are stark reminders of the ferocity with which the last Gaelic lords defended their ancestral lands. It was a fight to the death between two European cultures that would end only after one of them was utterly destroyed.
There are very few intact Gaelic castles in Ireland. Mostly English castles remain. Castles and great houses associated with the noble Irish clans that are still standing are often found in France, Spain, and Portugal. The Irish aristocrats were forced to immigrate to the Catholic countries on the continent after losing their original estates. The continental monarchs recognized their royal blood based on their Milesian genealogies. (It’s interesting to note that modern British and American genealogists refuse to acknowledge the validity of the Irish royal genealogical tracts, but the kings of seventeenth century Europe recognized their veracity and paid generous allowances from their own treasuries to support their noble foreign guests.)
There are thirty-two castles or manors known to be associated with the O’Sullivan clan.Four are still extant.
For a detailed history of all 32 O'Sullivan keeps, castles, and manor houses and a well-researched history of the O'Sullivan clan, the most senior branch of the royal family of Ireland, please visit:
