Downeen Castle

Downeen Castle, lies on an island in Castle Bay, south of the town of Rosscarberry, in County Cork in Ireland.

I could not find out when Downeen Castle was built. It belonged either to the MacCarthy Reagh or the O'Cowhigs. In 1602 it was taken by the English, who approached it by the use of a wooden drawbridge.

The castle was probably a tower house. All that remains today is a ruined, 3-storey tower above a sheer cliff on a windswept promontory, separated from the mainland. 

As Downeen is situated on an inaccessible island, it can not be visited. It can easily be seen from a field on the mainland. A nice, small but dramatically situated ruin.

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