Redwood Castle
Norman castle, Brehon law school, and MacEgan clan ancestral home.
Redwood Castle, also known as Egan Castle or Caisleán Choillte Rua, is a Norman castle near Lorrha in County Tipperary, Ireland. Built around 1200 AD, it was occupied by the Normans until approximately 1350, when the Mac Aodhagáin (MacEgan, Egan, Keegan) clan was installed on the lands. The castle is notable as the seat of a hereditary Brehon law school and as a rare example of continuous occupation by a single Irish clan for about 300 years.
- Location
- Near Lorrha, County Tipperary, Ireland
- Built
- c. 1200 AD
- Builder
- Normans
- Occupied by MacEgan clan
- c. 1350 – c. 1650
- Status
- Protected structure (ref S329), private residence with public summer access
- Notable feature
- Sheela na gig
Lore & Background
Redwood Castle was constructed by the Normans around 1200 AD and remained under their control until about 1350, when the Mac Aodhagáin (MacEgan) clan was granted the lands. The MacEgan family, serving as hereditary Brehons (lawyers), established a school of learning at the castle, which they patronized for several hundred years. The castle underwent significant enlargement and renovation from 1350 onward, incorporating features such as a murder-hole and a Sheela na gig.
Reader's Guide
Redwood Castle's significance lies in its dual role as a Norman fortification and as a center of Gaelic legal learning. The MacEgan clan's Brehon school operated here for centuries, preserving and transmitting Irish customary law. The castle remained in the MacEgan family's continuous occupation until about 1650, when it was confiscated and burned during the Cromwellian conquest. After over 300 years in ruins, it was purchased and renovated in 1972 by Michael J. Egan, a County Mayo lawyer. Today, it is a protected structure and opens to the public during summer months under heritage tax relief terms. Clan Egan rallies have included segments at the castle, which is regarded as the clan's ancestral home.
Did You Know?
- Redwood Castle is also known as Egan Castle or Caisleán Choillte Rua.
- The Mac Aodhagáin clan established a school of learning at the castle as hereditary Brehons.
- The castle features a Sheela na gig, an uncommon architectural element in Irish fortifications.
- After being burned around 1650, the castle lay in ruins for over 300 years until renovation in 1972.
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