The Maguires were noted patrons of poetry, music and learning.

It was a mainly peaceful time although this tranquillity was periodically interrupted by warfare with neighbouring clans from Counties Donegal, Tyrone and Cavan.

The blind poet Tadgh Dall O hUiginn painted an idyllic picture of the castle in the late sixteenth century. He wrote of the:

‘fair castle, with its shining greensward…the white walled rampart amongst the blue hillocks’.

At the castle there were:

‘poets and minstrels, satin-clad maidens weaving wondrous golden fringes, soldiers reclining, smiths preparing weapons’.

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