This was more of a romantic and picturesque picnic than an explore. Ever since I found out about this place I wanted to see it. I love ruins, especially those being reclaimed by nature, and the ivy on this castle is pretty epic.
The very changeable weather in Galway meant my surprise day out might not have happened. H knew I was taking her somewhere as soon as the weather was good enough. Luckily we had one decent day, so we grabbed some bits from the shop and set off. Annoyingly the rowing club from the university across the river were having a competition, which was fun to watch - everyone loves seeing people capsize, but as soon as we finished eating and went to take some pics they all came ashore to have a barbecue. I had to wait for ages for them to bugger off, so I only got a few rushed pics.
All of our planned explores were either fails or rained off, and the one in Galway city itself I was most looking forward to - well as soon as we found an access point into a huge hotel I heard a click and realised we had triggered a small PIR activated CCTV camera. As we walked off site Mr Secca turned up looking very annoyed at being called out early on a Sunday morning!
Some copied and pasted history:
"Menlo Castle is a picturesque ruin of a 16th century castle but the serenity of its surroundings hide its rich and painful history, which is shrouded in folklore and mystery. Just outside Galway on the banks of the River Corrib, the castle was home to the Blake family who lived there from 1600 to 1910. The Blakes were described as the richest family in Galway in 1592 as they owned extensive property in the counties of Mayo, Clare and Galway. During there time at Menlo Castle the Blakes invited villagers onto their grounds for the `Maying in Menlo' festival.
Over time, the family developed the castle, adding a Jacobean mansion to the old tower house lathe 17th century. A local midwife to the Blake family used to tell a story that while on a night journey to the castle she heard fairy music and saw the fairies dancing in a fairy ring in a nearby field. In 1910, a fire engulfed the castle and tragically took the lives of Lord and Lady Blake's invalid daughter, Eleanor, and two maids. No trace of Eleanor's body was ever found.
The building was gutted and all contents destroyed. Only the ivy covered walls, that can still be seen today, were left standing."
We are hoping to go back to Ireland again soon. We found so many places to explore that I haven't seen posted anywhere before. You can drive for an hour and spot a derelict house every 5 or 10 mins. 5 days wasn't long enough! Another trip home to Scotland has to happen first though.
Thanks for looking!
The very changeable weather in Galway meant my surprise day out might not have happened. H knew I was taking her somewhere as soon as the weather was good enough. Luckily we had one decent day, so we grabbed some bits from the shop and set off. Annoyingly the rowing club from the university across the river were having a competition, which was fun to watch - everyone loves seeing people capsize, but as soon as we finished eating and went to take some pics they all came ashore to have a barbecue. I had to wait for ages for them to bugger off, so I only got a few rushed pics.
All of our planned explores were either fails or rained off, and the one in Galway city itself I was most looking forward to - well as soon as we found an access point into a huge hotel I heard a click and realised we had triggered a small PIR activated CCTV camera. As we walked off site Mr Secca turned up looking very annoyed at being called out early on a Sunday morning!
Some copied and pasted history:
"Menlo Castle is a picturesque ruin of a 16th century castle but the serenity of its surroundings hide its rich and painful history, which is shrouded in folklore and mystery. Just outside Galway on the banks of the River Corrib, the castle was home to the Blake family who lived there from 1600 to 1910. The Blakes were described as the richest family in Galway in 1592 as they owned extensive property in the counties of Mayo, Clare and Galway. During there time at Menlo Castle the Blakes invited villagers onto their grounds for the `Maying in Menlo' festival.
Over time, the family developed the castle, adding a Jacobean mansion to the old tower house lathe 17th century. A local midwife to the Blake family used to tell a story that while on a night journey to the castle she heard fairy music and saw the fairies dancing in a fairy ring in a nearby field. In 1910, a fire engulfed the castle and tragically took the lives of Lord and Lady Blake's invalid daughter, Eleanor, and two maids. No trace of Eleanor's body was ever found.
The building was gutted and all contents destroyed. Only the ivy covered walls, that can still be seen today, were left standing."
We are hoping to go back to Ireland again soon. We found so many places to explore that I haven't seen posted anywhere before. You can drive for an hour and spot a derelict house every 5 or 10 mins. 5 days wasn't long enough! Another trip home to Scotland has to happen first though.
Thanks for looking!
stunning pics!
