Plantation Castles on the Erne
Plantation Castles on the Erne is a guidebook of Ulster Plantation castles in the Erne basin (Counties Fermanagh, Cavan and parts of Donegal and Tyrone) that still survive, to a greater or lesser extent. The guide is broken into two parts. The first part sets the scene for the conditions that led to the creation of the Ulster Plantation in 1610 and gives an account of the conditions which accompanied the grants to the various undertakers, including those articles relating to castle building. The section continues with a brief summary of the political conditions prevailing in Ireland and more specifically in Ulster, in the seventeenth century, which impacted on the castles’ survival. It concludes with a short section outlining the reasons why the castle-building tradition finally ended. Photographs illustrate typical castle features (loopholes, corbels, ovens etc). The second part of the guide describes three suggested castle itineraries that could be followed in a day’s outing. The reader can choose a route around Lower Lough Erne, Upper Lough Erne or County Cavan. The history of each castle site is then outlined in detail followed by a description of the surviving ruins, complete with illustrations.