Photo by @chrisbickford. To the confusion of both locals and visitors alike, there are actually two Ballynahinch Castles in Connemara. If you google the castle, you will find many pictures like the one above, depicting the Ballynahinch Castle Hotel. which was built in 1750. Its official website claims that it was built by the great O'Flaherty clan, who ruled western Connemara for centuries, and that it was once inhabited by the great pirate queen, Grace O'Malley. However, since Grace lived 150 years earlier, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, this bit of apocrypha suffers from historical anachronism. It is likely that the O'Malley's hideout was a small two-story stone structure in the middle of Lake Ballynahinch, which was originally fortified by the Conmaicne Mara, the original lords of Connemara. The Conmaicne Mara were driven out in the twelfth century by the O'Flahertys, who in turn had been driven out of east Galway by the encroaching Anglo-Normans. The manor house above, which was long owned by the aristocratic Martin family, is now a 4-star luxury hotel, and due to its presence holds greater claim to the moniker "Ballynahinch Castle" than the ruin on the lake. However, it was never a true fortified castle, unlike the older structure on the lake, which was most likely built as a crannog, an island-fortress, hundreds of years before the Castle Hotel. The old ruin is only accessible by boat, and is covered with ivy. Its ground floor measures little more than a thousand square feet, and from the shores of the lake it appears to be uncomfortably small as a dwelling. But it was likely from this tiny stone fortress that the early chiefs of Connemara ruled the surrounding region, and it is likely here that the Pirate Queen hid from the English navy during their many attempts to capture her. Photo by @chrisbickford. #thestonesofconnemara #visitireland #inspireland

natgeotravelさん(@natgeotravel)が投稿した動画 - 2014/10/20 04:09:52