Cllr Henry demands answers from OPW on castle closure
Ballymote based Councillor Keith Henry has asked Sligo County Council to write to the Office of Public Works asking them about why Ballymote Castle is no longer open to the public as it used to be in the recent past and to seek any issues that have been identified by them.
The Vice Chairman of the Council raised the matter at the December meeting of the Council and said the castle is of huge historic importance to the town and surrounding areas.
“The Castle is of huge benefit in terms of a public amenity for visitors to the town and indeed the region. Built around 1300 it is one of the last Norman Castle built in Connacht.
“It has been included it on several tourist guides for the County and is well signposted by the Council, but there is little point in telling people about it if they can’t get into it”.
The Fianna Fáil Councillor is a history teacher himself and says that it is a vital amenity in terms of education.
“It offers a great visual aide in terms of educating the children of the area.
“If the OPW have closed it for any reason we should be notified why and what plans they have to improve this ancient monument of the past,” he added.
Discoverireland.ie describes the castle as follows: Richard de Burgo, the Red Earl of Ulster, built the remains of this Anglo Norman castle in AD 1300 and it was the strongest fortress in Connacht.
The most prominent feature of this impressive fortification is the large gate building, a rectangular structure with projection 1/2 round towers at each side of the entrance.
Ballymote is almost square in plan with a 3/4 round tower at each angle and a D-shaped tower mid way along the east and west curtains. In the south wall there is a small gateway, which may have been used as a sallyport.
The double faced walls of the gate towers were built as a defence against undermining the wall.