Ballynahinch Castle
Ballynahinch Castle is a 4 star luxury hotel located in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Some of the activities that the hotel offers are guided walks, shooting and fishing. Previously it used to be an Irish country house and estate that was built on the location of a former castle. It is located on the edge of Ballynahinch Lake and Ballynahinch river close to the N59 road that runs between Galway and Clifden. Benlettery, one of the twelve bens mountain ranges, overlooks the castle.
Originally the country house standing three-storeys tall was built in 1754. The Castle still has its architecture intact even though it has been modified throughout its life.
History of the Land and the Castle
In the early 14th century the land was owned by the Ó Flaithbheartaigh(O’Flaherty) family. They also controlled a large portion of land that was known as Lar Connaught and would have stretched across County Galway and also into County Mayo. The first castle, a small structure, that was built on the site by Dónal Ó Flaithbheartaigh dates back to 1546 which was one of many that he built in the Connemara area. Around the same time period, Donal got married to Grace O’Malley, uniting the O’Malley;s and O’Flahertys into a powerful family with significant land holdings. Donal was not a good ruler, leaving it open for O’Malley to become the head of the family.
An Anglo-Norman family, the Martins, acquired the castle in the mid 17th century. The Martins were one of the fourteen tribes of Galway. In 1756 they commissioned the castle building as an inn. Richard Martin lived in the castle for a long period of his life after he converted it as a private residence because of his commitment to animal welfare.
Richard Berridge bought the castle in 1872. He was a brewer from London and owned large pieces of land in the west of Ireland. He built numerous fishing lodges on the land in Ireland and was mostly used for leisure. He also owned land in Middlesex and Kent in England.
The castle changed ownership again in 1924, on this occasion to Ranjitsinhji, the ruler of the Indian state Nawangar. The castle was only rented by him at the start due to the abundance of fishing opportunities. He later fell in love with the castle which led him to invest in the Connemara region cottage industry as well as helping local businesses. He continued to live in India while spending time every year in the castle until he died in 1933.
The McCormack family bought the castle and passed it on to the Irish Tourist board in 1946. The Irish Tourist board converted it into a hotel. In 1952 it changed hands into private ownership again and has since been owned by 3 different families. Today it is owned by the billionaire Denis O’Brien
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