Ballynacally
Places of Interest

Paradise House

Fort Fergus: This was the home of the Ball family who evicted two hundred families from the townland of Inisdia during the nineteenth century. The evicted families moved inland and lived in overcrowded conditions in areas like Cappanagerra and Lavalla. Fort Fergus house was burned down during the Troubles.

Dangan Castle: It takes its name from the word daingean meaning firm. A good description, as the castle is built on a solid rock and has withstood both man and time since it was built. On three sides the rock on which it was built is scarcely wider than the exterior walls of this roofless ruin but it can be entered from the eastern side through the fourth wall. This stronghold was owned by the MacMahons and was described in 1580 as the castle of Dangan-moy-builc. The Four Masters referred to this territory in 1575 as the territory of the Ui Builc or O'Bolgs. Folklore says the castle was bombed by a MacMahon wife who ran away with another man and that a large quantity of gold was buried there and is guarded by an evil spirit.

Clondegad Church

Paradise House: This was once the seat of the Henn family but was burned accidentally in October 1970. Two crests of the ruined shell give a brief summary of the Henn history. The 1685 crest probably celebrated their arrival in County Clare and the older house they built was incorporated into the newer house that was commemorated in the 1863 crest. When John Lloyd toured Clare in 1780 he described it as "Paradise, with its lofty and airy summit, pleasantly situated and overlooking both rivers on a commanding eminence, which freely affords a romantic survey of part of four counties." The Henns were popular both as landlords and as justices of the peace. Their boathouse has virtually disappeared and the once famous gardens have vanished beneath weeds and bushes.
The Henn Family of Paradise, County Clare

Clondegad House: It is believed that this was the first rural residence in the west of Ireland to have its own hydroelectricity supply. Behind it is the river and the ruined Church of Ireland building. The present Clondegad House and the bridge at Clondegad were built by John Whitestone. He lived here until the end of the nineteenth century. Standish O'Grady lived here until 1916 when he sold out to the Lucey family.

Clondegad Bridge: This was the scene of a Terry Alt skirmish with the military in 1831. Sergeant James Robinson was killed and after a military enquiry Murty Donnelly was hanged "near the bridge of Ballycorick." Michael Kelly was executed in Ennis and several others were transported to Australia.

The Clondegad Falls: They form a magnificent cascade to the rear of the old Glebe House which is still inhabited.

Ballycorick: Beal atha an chomhraic, or the mouth of the ford, is at the confluence of two streams. It was once guarded by Ballycorick Castle which belonged to Teige O'Brien in 1580. The castle ruins are within the yard and farm buildings of Ballycorick House.

Kilchreest Church

Kilchreest: The Church of Christ in Kilchreest is a comparatively modern structure, as are most of those churches or parishes which are not dedicated to saints of national origin. The walls are still in very good preservation, but the building is perfectly plain, and merits no particular description. Many died of starvation, disease and fever during the famine years and a special corner of the old graveyard here was originally a cholera pit.

Clondegad Church: The church and parish may have been dedicated to a saint named Sgrevain. The old church was totally ruined and a Protestant church was built on the site in 1809. This is also a ruin today. There is a memorial to George Ross who died in 1700 but the oldest stone in Clondegad dates to 1686. Saint Sgrevain's Bed is situated in a cliff recess beside the stream, a short distance from the church. On the opposite side are two wells collectively called Tobar Sgrevain at which patterns were once held on September 10th each year. Lisheen, as the name suggests, contains a fort, and also contains a small cemetery called Cill Aodha.