Castleburke

Castleburke Castle, County Mayo
Photo © Dr Charles Nelson, February 1994

Castleburke, formerly Kilboynell castle also castle Bourke, is a baronial mansion, now in ruins, near Castlebar, in the county of Mayo. This "castle" stands on a bluff overlooking Lough Carra; the redoubt of the Burkes.

--CASTLE BOURKE, in the Barony of Carragh, Co. of Mayo, and Province of Connaught. It is situate on the banks of Lough Carragh, 9 no. S. from Castlebar, la this Lake, the Salmo Fario, or Gillaroo Trout, is very abundant; and of which a very interesting description (accompanied with an engraving) is given by Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq., V. P. L. S., in Soiverby's Brit. Miscel. vol. ii. p. 1. Of the great Baronial Estates, attached to this Castle, it may not be improper briefly to mention, that Sir Theobald Bourke, the Fourth Viscount of Mayo, being left a Minor, preferred a petition, upon his father's death and forfeiture, to the Commissioners of Government for a maintenance : Who declared, on the 15th of April, 1653, that if he would repair to Dublin, and make application to them, they would take care that he should be decently educated, and maintained. He repaired to Dublin accordingly, and was placed under the tuition of Mr. John Stephens, then Master of the Free School. Some time after which, he was sent forto-England by his mother's relations, with whom he lived till the Restoration of-the King. On the 14th of May, 1661, he took his seat in the House of Peers, and on d»e 18th of July, delivering a petition to be restored to his estate, it was ordered by the House, that he should be recommended to the Agents in England, particularly to supplicate his Majesty on his behalf, to be comprised in his declaration: Wherefore, on the Act of Explanation, he was decreed to his estate, by the Commissioners for putting that Act in execution, on the llth of April 1666, and on the 30th of August following, had a grant of the benefit of that decree, consisting of 50,000 acres of laud, and five Manors in the County of Mayo. He died on the 5th of June 1676, in St. Patrick's, Dublin, and leaving no issue, was ««eceeded by his brother, Miles, the Fifth Viscount, who, for some time after his marriage, having no prospect of issue, \vas prevailed upon to sell part of his estate, for the discharge of some debts which lie had contracted. He died at Castle Bourke, in March 1681, and left an only child, Theobald, the Sixth Viscount of >layo; who was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Theobald Bourke, the Seventh Vi&count, and he dying without issue, the honour devolved on his only brother, John, the Eighth Viscount, who took his seat in the House of Peers on the 10th of November 1743: His Lordship died, on the 12th of January 1767, in Pall Mall, London, since when the title has lain dormant. These large estates have partly passed by marriage, and partly by &alc. This C«stle is entire, and in good repair: which, together with the axljaceut -territory, lineally descended to Aylmer Boufke Lambert, Esq., were, in 17SO, granted by that Gentleman to his agent, Mr. iJourke, on a Lease for three lives ami sixty one years; and by whom the Castle is now inhabited.

A TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF IRELAND BY NICHOLAS CARLISLE, 1846--