Historical Surroundings
The Battle of Tromra Castle
Look out the windows of Clonmore Lodge and see a lonely tower on the shore, imagine a world over 300 years past with raiders riding the waves intent on robbery and murder.
Edmond O’Flaherty was a man of good family and a mercenary who served the fort of Galway city. When he was free to go home, he and a number of companions went to his family holdings in the Aran Islands. However he was unsuited to a peaceful life and soon found that he wore out his welcome with the Islanders. He began to search for a more warlike career. In an evil moment for himself and others he heard that “a castle named Tromroe was possessed by one Mr. Ward, whom he heard was an honest gentleman and never heard of him before, nor knew of what religion or nation he was of;” the latter seems hard to believe given the anglicised nature of the surname. Accordingly O’Flaherty got his friends and ships ready and set sail across the bay for Tromra.
It was the spring of the year 1642. They reached Tromra at “the beginning of the night.” The garrison spied the raiding party and fired on them and inflicted some wounds. From Sunday night to Wednesday morning the Galway men assailed the tower from a “hall” which adjoined it. This daring act had meanwhile stirred up some of the Clare men. There had been but little violence used towards the English settlers up to this time. Now, however, local families joined forces with the O’Flaherties. Evidently plunder was the only intention of the assailants, for O’Flaherty ordered his men to spare the lives of the Wards, however it was hard to keep in check fierce men rapidly getting “out of hand” in those lawless times.
The attackers were impatient and getting exasperated by the resistance of the Wards. John, one of the sons of Peter Ward, saw that resistance was hopeless and urged his father to surrender, having taken on himself to open negotiations with O’Flaherty. Ward only replied: “I will not surrender…”. On the Tuesday, the Irish let out Peter Ward’s two younger sons and two daughters, and an Englishman and his wife and let them go in safety. Peter Ward, his wife Alson, and his eldest son, George, held out in the tower.
O’Flaherty again ordered his men to spare them but to keep them constantly harassed, keeping Peter Ward awake till he chose to surrender. On the Tuesday, George Ward, tried to come out, but he was set upon by Sorrell Folone and fell mortally wounded with eighteen gashes, he lingered to the 20th of April and then died. On Wednesday morning as Mrs Alson Ward looked out of a window loop she was shot and died in the room where her husband had held out for twenty-four hours after the rest of the tower was in the enemy’s hands. Peter Ward, in his agony and despair, eventually opened the door and struck at the men outside, one of which caught him by the arm and slew him.
The six other inmates of the castle were brought in safety to Richard White of Kilmurry. They eventually reached Dublin without further molestation. Clonmore Lodge is built on the site of Richard White’s house.
The bodies of Peter, Alson and George Ward were buried beside the castle. Daniel O’Brien, the sovereign lord of the area, arrived too late to save the family. He removed the bodies and buried them in Kilmurry church. However, a later Parish priest, D. MacScanlan MacGorman, had them dug up again and buried outside the walls as he considered them heretics.
A substantial sum, including livestock: Cows, sheep, horses and hogs were stolen. From a witness document at the time concerning recompense sought by the family (abridged with the more archaic words updated) “… that the said Peter Ward lost and was robbed and forcibly despoiled of his goods and chattels by the rebels of the said county. He further said that by means of this rebellion he lost the writings of which concerned the said Ward in England wherein he had a term for life worth 13 pounds sterling. The total of his (Ward’s) losses amounts to the eight six hundred sixtie & fower pounds sterling. The deponent further said that about the last of April the said Peter Ward, his wife Alce Ward and his son George ward were murtherouslie barbarously and trayterouslie murthered by the chief of the Fflaherties & drewe him, his said son and wife out of the said castle with gads about their necks and left them buryed in a ditch & riffled all his castle and house & in a rebellious maner took away his goods by sea to Conaght…”
This violent act of robbery was the beginning of the end for O’Flaherty. The plunder was being divided among O’Flaherty’s adherents when a quarrel arose. A certain John Browne, who had been “commandeered” as drummer by O’Flaherty, demanded a silver cup and was refused; he laid the slight to heart and waited his opportunity for eleven years. Under a new government, Browne came forward and swore against O’Flaherty. Troops were sent out to search for the latter in the wild country near Renvyle, Connemara. They searched in vain, and were returning wearied and disheartened when they heard an unusual croaking of ravens in a small, dark wood. They searched and dragged out from the shelter of a shelf of rock two ragged, spectral beings nearly starved to death, they were O’Flaherty and his wife. O’Flaherty was brought to Galway, tried and executed, holding to the last that his act was one of legitimate warfare. Indeed it is evident that he only sinned in open assault, tried to spare all, and saved six, of the hapless residents of Tromra castle.
Tromra is a late 15th century building and is an excellent example of a typical tower house of the period. It has a ground floor with a vaulted ceiling, the main hall is on the 1st floor for business, dining and entertaining. The upper floors were for sleeping and possibly contained a chapel. The adjacent buildings would not have had the same massive construction but were enclosed by a stone wall creating an area known as a ‘Bawn’. The Tower can be accessed by road on the shore side though it is now in some disrepair.
The site appears in documents as early as 1215 where the Norman government granted the area, including Mutton Island, to the Archbishop of Cashel. Tromra is also mentioned in historical records when in 1276 King Torlough Mor O’Brien sought shelter with his relative as he fled down the coast seeking aid.
Mutton Island or Enniskerry
A Description in 1837 (County Clare A History and Topography by Samuel Lewis) Mutton Island by T.J. Westropp
Mutton Island belongs to the parish of Kilmurry Ibrickane. It takes its name from "Iniscaorach". Samuel Lewis writing in 1837 describes it as; "half a mile from the shore, on the western coast…It lies off that part of the coast which, from its rocky and dangerous character, is called the Malbay, and contains 210 statute acres of excellent land for feeding oxen and sheep, particularly the latter; hence the name "Mutton Island" from the fine flavour of the mutton. Mutton Island is the largest island off the Clare coast. Quilty is the nearest mainland village.
According to the "Annals of the Four Masters" the island was once called Fitha Island and it formed part of the mainland until the day "the sea swelled so high that it burst its boundaries, overflowing a large tract of country, and drowning over 1,000 persons." This happened on March 16th, 804. Some reports describe it as an earthquake, others as a tidal wave when "the sea divided the island of Fitha into three parts." These three islands are Mutton Island, Inismattle (or Illanwattle) and Roanshee (or Carrig na Ron). There is a fourth island in the area called Carraig Aolacan.
Lewis gives this account of Mutton Island; "On its shores are some curious natural caves, formerly used by smugglers for storing contraband goods. Here are an old signal tower and the ruins of an ancient structure, said to have been founded by St. Senan of Inniscattery." This small oratory, dedicated to St. Senan has since fallen into the sea.
There are two promontory forts on Mutton Island which were probably used as defence systems. In the north-east corner of the island are the graves of unknown sailors, believed locally to have belonged to a ship from the Spanish Armada fleet, "The Sao Marcos." The Signal Tower or Watch Tower is situated on the cliff edge. It was probably built because of the threat of a French invasion early in the nineteenth century. Local tradition has it that they were used in an effort to curtail the activities of smugglers. A cave on the north side of Mutton Island is called Poul Tabach, a reference to the contraband dealings that went on there. During the hectic days of the Sinn Fein courts the island was used as a detention camp. These courts operated outside the jurisdiction of the British legal system and continued to do so until the Free State courts were established.
The island was inhabited up to the 1920s but little remains of the village today. It is believed to have been home to twelve families in the nineteenth century. Names such as Gallagher, Kelleher, Griffin, Scully, Power, Boyle and Egan were associated with the place. They made a living partly from fishing. They also harvested kelp, dilisk and carrageen. Potatoes and vegetables were grown and they kept some domestic animals. The island, as its name suggests, had a long tradition of sheep farming. They also cut turf and hay was saved. Much of the island is good grassland, some is rough pasturage. A lake on the island covers an area of three to four acres.
Ownership of Mutton Island was in the hands of the Archbishop of Cashel in 1215. He was granted it by Donchadh Caibbreach O'Brien, though it later passed back to the O'Briens, then Earls of Thomond. William Stackpoole (1743-1796) was the agent and he sold his interest in the place to a Mr. McDonough. It was later owned by Mr. Griffin, an Ennis victualler. He sold it to the Casey family from Mullagh, who in turn sold it to Mr. Hafa, an American. In recent years it was bought by Pat Egan from Liscannor. Today, Mutton Island is inhabited only by wild goats, seals, rats, rabbits and birds.
T.J. Westropp, the antiquarian and surveyor, visited the island several times. In more recent times Eamon De Buitlear, an environmentalist, has spent some time here. Dick Warner from R.T.E. included Mutton Island in his television documentary. The island is a quiet, unspoilt area of natural beauty, rich in history, geology, archaeology and botany.
Spanish Armada Wrecked at Mutton Island
Look out the windows of Clonmore Lodge and see a rugged seascape, imagine a world over 400 years past, the ill-fated Spanish armada fighting their way south, the sport of the storms and the victims of the Irish coast and its tribes.
In 1588, “The Zuniga” one of the finest of the Spanish ships barely escaped the Clare coast however two of her companions perished : one at the second here on the reef between Mutton Island and Tromra Castle. Many ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare: four at Loop Head, two of which were wrecked, including the San Esteban (700 tons, 264 men) at Doonbeg, and probably the heavily damaged San Marcos (790 tons, squadron of Portugal, 409 men, 33 guns) at Spanish Point inside Mutton Island. All survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, Boetius MacClancy (some, according to tradition, at Gallows Hill