Town defences

The National Monuments Service's description

Earliest record of town walls is murage grant of 1275 (O'Brien 1986, 372) which was renewed throughout late medieval period, but by 1631 walls were 'weak and ruinous' with 'no place to mount ordnance to defend the harbour' (Coleman 1906, 103); re-fortified in 1641-2 (Harbison 1977, 62). Pacata Hibernia map (Wain 1965, 36-7) shows walled town in two sections with 'basetown' (Irishtown) to S; thirteen towers are shown including South Gate, North Gate and Water Gate, with outworks outside North Gate; E line of wall ran along waterfront; walled harbour with two entrance towers outside WaterGate. To-day N and W ruins of town wall including three towers survive and have been described as 'possibly the best preserved medieval town walls in Ireland' (Harbison, ibid.; see plan Cockburn 1976, 14-5; see photos Buckley 1900, 158-8). Two semicircular and one circular tower (Banshee; Montmorenci and Half-Moon) stand at S end of W wall; this section (surviving for c. 450m) overlooks area of medieval town. W wall rebuilt in upper courses; square placements for wooden supports for wall walk; upper part of parapet rebuilt (Thomas 1992, 215). Line of N wall (c. 275m) descends steeply to E, with no towers surviving. Riverside wall apparently slighter (H c. 5m; Wth c. 0.6m) so could be late medieval (ibid). Stone arch (CO067-029012-), known as 'Watergate' or 'Cromwell's Arch' (Condon 1945, opp. 120) 'is seemingly a modern restoration of the antique "water gate" ' (Buckley ibid,160), leading from base town into former fortified harbour.

See Excavation 1998, no. 89, no. 90 p. 23

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