MENLO / BLAKE'S CASTLE

Menlo Castle, or Blake’s Castle as it is otherwise known, is a picturesque ruin of a 16th century castle on the banks of the river Corrib, which was once home to the Blake family, described as the richest family in Galway, who lived there from 1600 to 1910.

The castle went through some refurbishments throughout the years to include adding a Jacobean mansion to the old tower house in the late 17th century. In 1910, Menlo Castle was gutted by fire which trapped two servant maids & Miss Ellen, the mentally disabled daughter of the Baronet & Lady Blake. The two servants were forced to jump from the roof of the castle, one dying instantly, the other taken in agony to hospital. Strangely, the body of Miss Ellen Blake was never found.