We were touring slowly through The Burren, an amazing limestone region in the north west corner of Co Clare; up steep hills, down into deep deep vales. Suddenly it appeared in front of us, Leamaneh Castle, stark but wonderfully majestic, a shell of its former self. If you look closely at the castle you will notice that it is really two parts. The first was an Irish tower house built around 1480. The second part was added in 1640 to make a fortified house. Even though the first part was built almost two hundred years before the second, it is much stronger and sounder than the later house. It must have been a splendid house in its day though as evidenced by the stone window frames. At one time it had a lovely gate that has since been moved to Dromoland Castle, which is not far away.

The castle has a tumultuous history centered around the O'Brien Clan. Conor O'Brien, who built the house, was killed while fighting against Cromwell in 1651. His wife Maire Rua McMahon, offered to marry one of Cromwell's soldiers to safeguard her son's inheritance of the castle. She married one of them, but still lost the estate. Later she and one of her husbands (she had three of them) regained control of the Castle. There were still problems in her life because records show that she was tried and acquitted of the murder of this husband.

This castle is on private land and visitors are not welcome. But it stands near the road for all passersby to see.