Greenan Red Coat J P McLaughlin Art

Greenan Castle Red Coat an original oil on canvas 30 x 30 and features the trademark red coat.

In 1576 the castle was sold to Paul Reid, a burgess of Ayr. His tenure was short for it was sold again in 1588 to John Kennedy of Baltersan. He remodelled the castle including adding a new entrance at ground level and also added a three storey wing to the south-east of the Tower. A barmkin (curtain wall) enclosed a courtyard which would have included all the ancillary buildings associated with such a settlement including brewhouse, bakehouse, kitchen and stables. Judging by an engraving on the entrance lintel, these upgrades were completed in 1603.

Greenan Castle was the scene of inter-clan fighting when, in 1601, Sir Thomas Kennedy of Culzean was murdered shortly after he left the fortification in retaliation for the death of another member of the family. The castle passed through various members of the clan before ending up in the hands of Thomas Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis in 1766. The castle seems to have gone out of use as a residence around this time and today the structure is ruinous.