Crevenish Castle

Crevenish Castle stands in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, three kilometres south-west of Kesh. It is a ruined castle with a bawn, built of limestone and once owned by the Blennerhassett family. The site includes a square tower, loopholed windows and two and a half storeys still standing. A small village of six houses and a church were begun in 1618 or 1619. The castle passed through different hands in the 17th century before falling into ruin by 1697. The castle is worth the journey for its links to early Ulster plantation history. Thomas Blenerhassett built it around 1618 and published a pamphlet on plantation directions. His son Sir Leonard became an MP and High Sheriff, while Rory Maguire, who married his widow, led the 1641 rebellion in Fermanagh. Captain Nicholas Pynnar described the house as a two-and-a-half-storey stone building with a slate roof. Visitors find the remaining stone walls, square tower and loopholed windows on the north side. The inset centre section and tower-like projections mark the original design. Tombstones of the Blennerhassett family lie in the grounds. The castle’s quiet fields and low hills form a peaceful setting near Kesh.