HISTORY
The O'Dowdas (O'Dowd's) were chieftains of west Sligo in Anglo-Norman times and they built the Castle in 1447. The O'Dowd's occupied the castle until the Cromwellian era (17th century). The castle is of three stories. Two of the main features are the subsidiary turrets that are situated on diagonally opposed corners. The outside measurements are approx. 20m in length and 10m wide. The thickness of the walls varies between 1.65m and 2.13m.
The castle has been renovated over the years and two chimneys were added in the seventeenth century. Many of the original archer slits remain intact. After the eviction of the O'Dowd's during the Cromwellian Plantation of the 1650's the castle and lands were given to Robert Morgan.
It was used as a military site for the Williamite army during the war between the Catholic King James and the Protestant William of Orange. At the close of the 17th century the castle ceased to be inhabited.

From Castleconnor Parish - an historical perspective
pub. 2000 by Castleconnor Parish Development Group, Co. Sligo, Ireland