Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Near cliff-edge, overlooking Blackwater River to S. Probably a rectangular tower though only E wall (L 8.8m; T 1.9m) with returns of N wall (L 6m) and S wall (L 4m), now stand, to slightly over 1st-floor level; both surviving corners rounded (Cotter 1994, 101).
No trace of main doorway survives, but was apparently at ground level near E end of S wall, where mural stairs rise E from ground to 1st-floor level; outer wall of stairs collapsed, steps obscured by grass-covered rubble.
At foot of stairs foundations of E jamb and ingoing of doorway to ground-floor chamber survive. Little of latter chamber (4.08m N-S) is left: breach (Wth 1.9m) in E wall; single corbel overhead on N wall indicates position of original timber ceiling; row of joist sockets (0.1m x 0.1m) on E wall are late insertions.
Spiral stairs rise in SE corner from top of mural stairs; at 1st-floor level NE jamb of doorway to main chamber survives. Latter roofed by pointed wicker-centred vault (long axis E-W). Only E ingoing of window in N wall survives; wide window embrasure in E wall covered by flat wicker-centred vault, present light inserted as head of earlier ogee-headed light still present.
Castle of the Roches, Viscounts Fermoy (Grove White 1905-25, vol. 2, 30); in the possession of Richard Gethin in 1654, who carried out repairs on the castle (ibid., 32).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009