Maintaining a large and significant kingdom of Brefni, the O'Rourkes ruled from several castles; one of which, Cloncorrick (pictured above), still stands in some incarnation, near Carrig Allen.

The O`Rourke Sept reigned principally over two kingdoms, Brefni and Conmaicne. They were a large clan that battled fiercely with each other over the title of 'Lords of the Ui Briuin-Brefni' and 'The Ua Ruairc'.

They established major forts and castles throughout their own kingdom and played a major role in restoring the ancient church of Clonmacnois (the site of O`Rourke's Tower) and provided major funding for Mellifont, the first major Cistercian Monastery in Ireland. 

The main castles and forts of the sept were:  

Dromahair (Southeast of Lough Gill aka Ballyrourke)
Newtowne Manor (Duroy on the Northeast shore of Lough Gill, later rebuilt as Parkes Castle)
Cloch Inse na d'Torc (on Boar Island near Cherry Island in Lough Garadice), later rebuilt in the 1600's as
Woodford (at Tuam Shanshandra next to Lough Garadice) [birthplace of Count John O`Rourke])
Cloncorrick-near present day Carrigallen, still in use by the Irish army in the 1920's. This castles was the base for the eastern Brefni sept and was in O'Rourke hands until the early 17th century..
Leitrim Castle (just south of Lough Allen)- built by Brian Ballaigh O'Rourke circa 1540- a police station now sits at this spot- a small portion of one of this fort's wall is all that remains of the original structure

Cluain-comraic Alla Cuinn (Conn's Hall)-aka Grouse Lodge in Inismagrath

Castle Carr- on a lake in the valley of Glenncarr, This castle was demolished during tribal warfare in the late 15th century
Castle of the Rock, Carlslean-an-carthe Carha (located in north-central Leitrim) 
Cruachan, near Killeshandra in Cavan was the ancient innuaguration site of the Kings of Brefni or Lords of the Ui Briuin-Brefni.

O'Rourke Historical Profiles

BUY An Irish Odyssey- A History of the Family of O'Rourke by Stephen Vincent O'Rourke -

A detailed account of the history surrounding the O'Rourke surname.. If your surname is O'Rourke or one of its' variant spellings or if you are friends with an O'Rourke, you owe it to yourself to buy this unique book. Written, researched and edited by Irish-American Stephen Vincent O'Rourke, this book is the first history of the family written by one of it's own

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O'Rourke Historical Legacy page