# Clara Castle

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**Clara Castle** is a [tower house](/source/Tower_houses_in_Britain_and_Ireland) (*caiseal*) located in [County Kilkenny](/source/County_Kilkenny), [Ireland](/source/Republic_of_Ireland).[1]

## Location

Clara Castle is located about 6 km (3.7 mi) east of [Kilkenny City](/source/Kilkenny), near one of the headwaters of the [Nore](/source/River_Nore).[2]

## History

Clara Castle was built in the late 15th/early 16th century by the Shortall family, who lived there until c. 1640. Henry Johnson occupied the castle in the Cromwellian period, and it later passed to the Byrnes; occupants include Anthony Byrne (1656–1720), Lewis Byrne (1690–1766), Mathew Byrne (1694–1754), Anthony Byrne (1725–1810), Michael Byrne (1762–1835).[3] The castle was occupied up until 1905.[4]

## Building

Clara Castle is five storeys tall with a [vault](/source/Vault_(architecture)) above the third floor. On the north side is a [bawn](/source/Bawn) measuring 10 by 22 m (33 by 72 ft). The building retains many of its original [oak](/source/Oak) doors and floor beams. There is a [murder-hole](/source/Murder-hole) above the entrance, which is also protected by a [yett](/source/Yett) and drawbar.

The second floor, probably the lord's chamber, has a hooded [chimneypiece](/source/Fireplace_mantel), mural passage, [garderobe](/source/Garderobe) and a small bedroom. It was originally painted blue and one wall has a Crucifixion mural.[5] The floor above, contains a [secret chamber](/source/Secret_chamber).

The top floor chamber is the largest and best-lit room in the castle, used for general family living. Its large [lintelled](/source/Lintel) fireplace is a secondary insertion, so the fireplace in this room must originally have been in the centre of the floor. The roof above is modern, while the [parapets](/source/Parapets) are [crenellated](/source/Crenellated) in the Irish style with [loopholes](/source/Arrowslit), [alure](/source/Alure), [machicolation](/source/Machicolation) and [weeps](/source/Weep_(architecture)).[6][7][8]

## References

1. Leask, H. G. (1 January 1937). "Clara Castle, Co. Kilkenny". *The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland*. **7** (2): 284–289. [JSTOR 25513886](https://www.jstor.org/stable/25513886)

1. Byrne-Rothwell, Daniel (1 January 2010). [*The Byrnes and the O'Byrnes*](https://books.google.com/books?id=KnTgoUv7HiwC). House of Lochar. ISBN 9781904817048. – via Google Books.

1. Byrne-Rothwell, D. (2010). [*The Byrnes and the O'Byrnes*](https://books.google.com/books?id=KnTgoUv7HiwC&pg=PA254). Vol. 2. House of Lochar. p. 254. ISBN 9781904817048. Retrieved 2016-09-12.

1. ["Clara Castle, Kilkenny"](http://www.megalithicireland.com/Clara%20Castle,%20Kilkenny.html)

1. Gomme, Andor & Maguire, Alison (1 January 2008). [*Design and Plan in the Country House: From Castle Donjons to Palladian Boxes*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9QyzoRo_c0cC). Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300126457. – via Google Books.

1. ["Clara Castle, County Kilkenny"](http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/travel/attractions/castles/Kilkenny/clara.shtm)

1. ["Clara Castle"](http://irishantiquities.bravehost.com/kilkenny/clara/clara.html)

1. ["Clara Castle"](http://www.carneycastle.com/Clara/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Clara Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Castle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Castle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.