Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Immediately S of sheer rock face (H c. 10m), at S edge of Tourig river valley; Cornaveigh Castle (CO067-005---) visible c. 800m to NW. Remains of 5-storey ivy-clad rectangular tower (14.5m N-S; 8.6m E-W); walls stand to wall-walk level except S wall, which has largely collapsed. Entered at ground level by door in S wall of which only lower jamb stones survive.This gives access to lobby with vaulted roof, the outer part of which is collapsed; inner part covered by murder hole. The lobby gives access straight through to main chamber (8.13m N-S; 4.5m E-W), and E to small rectangular chamber with stair well at E end, in SE corner of tower, which rises as spiral stairs to top of tower, giving access to upper floors. In S wall of chamber at foot of stairwell is slit window with circular gun loop (diam. 0.2m) through sill. Main ground floor chamber lit by windows in E, N and W wall; square-set segmental-arched embrasures; single flat-headed lights in N and E windows; single ogee-headed light to W.
No door from stairwell to 1st floor level, this chamber probably entered by outer door in S wall, now fallen. Also largely fallen is smaller mural chamber in S wall at this level. Lintelled door survives in S wall of main chamber; this floor lit by central window in N wall; square-set embrasure covered by rounded arch, narrow flat-headed light. Rounded wicker-centred vault (axis N-S) covers main 1st floor chamber.
At 2nd floor level, small mural chamber in S wall entered from landing off spiral stairs; almost entirely fallen. Main 2nd floor chamber also entered from landing. Central square-set window embrasures, covered by segmental, wicker-centred vaults, in N and E wall; lights gone. Similar embrasure in centre of W wall with tall narrow flat-headed light; vault over embrasure collapsed but above it quarried flue visible, on S side of embrasure rough outline survives of circular opening resembling bread oven; it appears that light was blocked and embrasure used as fireplace. At S end of W wall lintelled door leads into base of straight mural stairway rising to N; stairs collapsed.
Main 3rd floor chamber entered via short mural passage from spiral stairs; mural passage lit by window with ogee-headed light. Central square-set window embrasure in N wall with flat-headed light. Central part of W wall collapsed revealing mural chamber entered from stairway at 2nd floor level; access to this chamber not gained but may contain garderobe (exit for garderobe chute near ground at N end of W wall). Again most of small mural chamber in S wall gone, as has similar chamber at 4th floor level. Rounded vault covers main 3rd floor chamber (axis N-S), small collapse at centre. Main 4th floor chamber probably entered from stairwell at SE corner but this area now very ruinous. Central square-set window embrasure in E and N wall: double ogee-headed light in E window, single ogee-headed light to N. Similar embrasure, with double ogee-headed light, near S end of W wall, missing mullion; N ingoing of embrasure much collapsed but straight mural stairs, now blocked, rise from here to L-shaped chamber in NW corner, now visible through broken opening in wall, probably containing a garderobe; Grose (Stalley 1991, 30) shows slit light for chamber at N end of W wall. Wall-walk not accessible but two chimney stacks atop W wall; part of battlements survive at E end of S wall. Coleman (1910, 181) and Healy (1988, 142) mention 'traces of bawn are still remaining .. amongst them being one of the ruined angle turrets'; Grose (Stalley, ibid.), depicting site in early 19th century, shows a round corner tower to S of tower house, with short length of wall running N and longer length running W; not seen.
Built by branch of Fitzgeralds of Imokilly; in 1645 besieged by Lord Castlehaven who bombarded it and breached wall (Redmond 1918, 148), however it appears that much of the damage on S side of tower resulted from nearby quarrying for building stone in 19th century (Coleman 1910, 178-9).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 16/1933).