Clare

70 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Clare, from 135 m² to 291,112 m² (29.11 ha, 71.94 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 35 neighbouring parcels touch it.

No zone of a development plan covers Clare in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 2 Oct 2023Conditional

  construction of a dwelling house with treatment system & percolation area with all ancillary site works

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 2360334

• 26 Oct 2022Conditional

  construction of four bedroom dwelling and garage. The application will also include an effluent treatment unit, percolation area, new entrance and all associated site works and drainage

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 22521

• 27 Jul 2022Refused

  to construct a four bedroom dwelling and garage. The application will also include an effluent treatment unit, percolation area, new entrance and all associated site works and drainage.

  Permission · Westmeath County Council, 22386

• 17 May 2021Conditional

  Construction of (i) milking parlour building with slatted tank, flow channel, office, dairy, loose area, meal bin, collecting yard, drafting area (ii) cubicle shed with loose area & slatted tank (iii) hardcore area and farm gateway and all associated site works

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 21260

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches the townland of Clare.

Recorded monuments

• WM024-040 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating and hilly pasture, with good views in all directions. Monument described in 1971 as a subcircular-shaped area defined by a bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank, a gap (Wth at top 3.5m; basal Wth 2.2m) at E may represent the entrance. The low inner bank of earth and stone is almost reduced to a scarp and there are indications that it was faced with large stones on the exterior. There are very vague traces of an intervening fosse. The outer bank which is depicted from SW-W-N-NE on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map has been levelled and can now be traced as a distinctive light green cropmark. House site (WM024-040001-) located within S quadrant. See attached plan and profile of monument surveyed and drawn by ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019

• WM024-040001 House - indeterminate date
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating and hilly pasture, with good views in all directions. In the S quadrant of ringfort (WM024-040----) are the remains of a roughly rectangular-shaped house site (dims. 5.5m E-W; 5.2m N-S) defined by a slight earth and stone bank. A similar low bank defines a long area (L 9.1m; Wth 2.9m) on the N side of the hut site which be some form of annexe. The entrance to the house site and possible annexe are not visible. See attached plan and profile of monument surveyed and drawn by ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 12 August 2019

• WM024-078 Castle - tower house
  Description

  Clare Castle also known as Mullaghcloe situated on NE edge of a steep sided hillock, in pasture, with extensive views in all directions. In the year 1544 the Annals recorded that 'Rory O'Melaghlin was slain at Clartha [Clare], by Richard Dalton and his kinsmen, in a nocturnal assault' (O'Donovan 1856). Tower house type castle depicted on the 17th century Down Survey map of Killare parish (NLI MS 723/58). On this map the castle is shown standing on church lands belonging to the Bishop of Meath (ibid.). The terrier of this parish map stated that in 'Clare, Dooneild, Rathskeagh, Killinbrack, Bishopsland Ballikenny on each of them stands a Castle' (ibid.). Castle served as the headquarters of Generals de Ginckle and Douglas when preparing for the Siege of Ballymore in 1691 (Woods 1907, 5). Poorly preserved castle ruins standing on NE angle of bawn (WM024-078001-). Castle ruins described in 1971 and 1977 as a rectangular-shaped building defined by a stone wall (H 2-3m) which is reduced to wall footings at NE and E. There are no dressed stones visible in any of the upstanding walls. The entrance is in the W wall and a mural stairs in NW angle from which upper floors now destroyed were accessed. The interior of the castle is filled with collapsed rubble to first floor level. A bawn (WM024-078001-) adjoins the castle to W.  Castle described in 2004 as a 'tower measuring 12.4m by 8m over walls 1.8m thick partly projects out from the east side of a hill-top bawn 40m by 50m marked by a stoney bank. The only feature is a very broken basement loop at the west end' (Salter 2004, 147).  Castle visited by Paul Gosling on the 23/04/2024 who noted that part of the north-east corner of the tower house had collapsed very recently (pers. comm. P. Gosling 23/04/2024).   See attached plan and profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 13 August 2019

• WM024-078001 Bawn
  Description

  Clare Castle also known as Mullaghcloe situated on NE edge of a steep sided hillock, in pasture, with extensive views in all directions. Poorly preserved castle ruins (WM024-078----) standing on NE angle of bawn (approx. dims. 27m N-S x 33m E-W) which is defined by the grass-covered remains of a collapsed wall. The bawn is divided internally by a slight bank with the footings of a stone wall running E-W in the N quadrant. Castle described in 2004 as a 'tower measuring 12.4m by 8m over walls 1.8m thick partly projects out from the east side of a hill-top bawn 40m by 50m marked by a stoney bank' (Salter 2004, 147). See attached plan and profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 13 August 2019

• WM024-079 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on the S-facing slope of a slight rise, in undulating pasture, with excellent views to E, SW and W. Clare castle (WM024-078----) and bawn (WM024-078001-) 175m to N. Monument described in 1971 as a roughly circular-shaped area (dims. 53m N-S; 52m E-W) enclosed by a high, steep earth and stone bank that is almost reduced to a scarp from NW-N-E-ESE. The bank has several small gaps in it, although the original entrance is not recognisable. There is no external fosse, although there is a fosse-like depression on the interior of the bank. The interior rises slightly from the perimeter toward the centre where there is rock outcrop. A post-1700 stone wall running NW-SE cuts across the NE sector of the monument. There is a complex of old banks surrounding the site, several of which intersects the base of the ringfort bank. One of the banks overlies the perimeter of the monument at NNW. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 13 August 2019

• WM024-080 Ringfort - unclassified
  Description

  Situated on a low rise, in pasture. Depicted on Larkin’s 1808 Map of Co. Westmeath as an earthwork (NLI, MS 46,580 -). Levelled monument described in 1978 as no surface remains visible. The adjoining field boundaries have been removed and the area has been reclaimed. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 13 August 2019

• WM024-088 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating wet pasture, with good views to SE. Bivallate ringfort described in 1971 and 1977 as a roughly circular-shaped area enclosed by a bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank with causewayed (Wth at top 1.7m; Wth at base 3.6m; H 0.2m) entrance gap (Wth at top 3.1m; Wth at base 1.7m) at SE. The inner bank is very low and the fosse is shallow. The fosse and low outer bank have been disturbed in several places. The interior has a gentle SE-facing slope and no features are visible. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 19 August 2019

• WM024-089 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating pasture. Bivallate ringfort described in 1971 as a roughly circular-shaped area enclosed by a bank, an intervening fosse and an outer bank with a gap (Wth at top 3.7m; Wth at base 1.6m) at SE which may represent the original entrance. The inner bank is best preserved at ESE and is almost reduced to a scarp elsewhere. It has several narrow modern gaps and slight quarry depressions. The fosse is visible from SSW-W-N-NE and has been truncated from NNE-E by a field boundary running NW-SE. The low remains of an outer bank are visible from SSW-W-NW. The interior rises slightly from the perimeter towards the centre, where a hut-site (WM024-089001-) is located. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 19 August 2019

• WM024-089001 Hut site
  Description

  Situated on a slight rise, in gently undulating pasture. In the centre of ringfort (WM024-089----) are the remains of a subrectangular-shaped area (dims. 7.8m NW-SE; 5.3m NE-SW) defined by a low bank (overall Wth 3.2m; Wth at top 1.1m; H 0.5m) with possible entrance at SE. The NE arc of the hut site has been levelled. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 21 August 2019

• WM024-134 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a low rise, in undulating pasture, with good views all directions. Monument described in the 1970s as a circular-shaped area (diam. 36m) enclosed by an inner bank, an intervening fosse and outer bank with causewayed entrance gap (Wth at top 4.1; Wth at base 1.8m) at E. A large stone on the S side of the entrance gap appears to have been set on edge originally but it is now leaning inwards. The internal face of the inner bank is faced in several places with large stones and there are several modern gaps. The wide, shallow fosse is visible from SSE-W-N-E. The slight outer bank is visible from W-NW and is poorly preserved at E. The interior has a gentle rise towards the centre with rock outcrops in several places. There are no internal features visible. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 27 August 2019

• WM024-138 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Situated on a prominent rise, in gently undulating pasture, with good views in all directions. Bivallate monument described in the 1970s as a roughly circular-shaped area (diam. 25m) enclosed by an inner bank, an intervening berm and an outer bank. The inner and outer banks are both low and they are not concentric. They are separated by an intervening berm measuring approx. 6-12m. The original entrance is not visible. The interior is generally even with a gentle SSE-facing slope and a slight stony outcrop in the centre. A townland boundary encircles the monument from NE-S. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 27 August 2019

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Clare.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

No address of the register names Clare with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Clare

Area

3,571,811 m² (357.18 ha, 882.61 acres)

Civil parish

Killare, and its townlands

Barony

Rathconrath

Electoral division

Killare, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Ballinaspick Or Bishopstown, Ballinlig Lower, Clonickilroe, Clonnamanagh, Clonybane, Dungaghy, Rackavra, Rathskeagh Upper, Taghnafearagh

Placenames

Clare on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.