Clonony

Clonony Cluain Damhna
—  Town  —
Clonony Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°14′N 7°55′W / 53.233°N 7.917°W / 53.233; -7.917Coordinates: 53°14′N 7°55′W / 53.233°N 7.917°W / 53.233; -7.917
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Offaly
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference

Clonony (Irish: Cluain Damhna) is a hamlet in County Offaly, Ireland, on the R357 regional road. Located between the River Brosna and the Grand Canal, it is noted for its Norman style tower house of the same name, which was built in 1500.

Clonony Castle

Clonony Castle

Clonony Castle is a Tudor castle built by the MacCoughlan clan, and ceded to Henry VIII by Jon Og MacCoghlan, then to Thomas Boleyn when Henry wanted to marry his daughter Anne. Mary and Elizabeth Boleyn, cousins to Queen Elizabeth I, lived out their lives in this castle and their tombstone still stands on the castle grounds.

The castle was occupied for a time, after the plantation of the area in the early 17th century, by Matthew de Renzi (1577–1634), a London cloth merchant originally from Cologne, who created the first English-Irish dictionary, according to his tombstone in Athlone.

The fifty-foot tower, an Irish National Monument, is surrounded by gardens and a moat. The castle is a few miles from Clonmacnoise, an ancient seat of Irish learning. Shannon Harbour and the towns of Banagher and Shannonbridge are close by. The castle is currently being restored, and is open to the public at no cost, and although there are no specific hours, the owners try to keep the castle open and encourage tours.

References

• Medieval Castles of Ireland by David Sweetman (Dublin, 2000)

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

• Clonony Castle website
• Clonony Castle
• Description, history and pictures of Clonony Castle