Brackloon Castle was a 16th century tower house built by the O’Madden clan.
In 1557, under the campaign of further expansion of the English monarch across Ireland, Brackloon was attacked by the forces of the then Lord Deputy in a bid to remove any supporters of the rebel O’Connors in the O’Madden’s territory. Brackloon was seized by the Lord Deputy’s forces and Donogh McCollo O’Madden was killed.
Around 1570, Rory McCollo O’Madden was resident at Brackloon, in which year he received a pardon from the Queen. He was again pardoned in 1581 under recommendation from Sir Nicholas Malbie, Governor of Connacht and Thomond. Rory McCollo, according to an inquisition taken at Loughrea on 7th October 1629, died on the 12th March 1616. After his death, the castle at Brackloon came into the possession of Rory’s son, Ambrose maol.
In 1664, Ambrose O’Madden lost ownership of the castle and surrounding lands as a result of the Cromwellian confiscations and transplantations in the mid seventeenth century. During this period, the castle was acquired by Captain John Eyre. In 1670, although Eyre was proprietor of the castle, the O’Maddens family appear to have remained as tenants into the early eighteenth century.
In more recent times, the castle has since undergone considerable restoration work and numerous features such as gunloops, a box machicolation over the fourth storey level entrance, small windows, defensive, turrets and the remains of a suspected murder hole still exist.