Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Located 100m N of the Pollmounty River and c. 20m W of a small stream, at the upper edge of the steep scarp descending to the river. The remains are densely overgrown and stand at the S edge of an abandoned farmstead, incorporated into the field boundary system. The area is wooded. According to Comerford (1886, 317), ‘The remains of the Castle of Polmonty, which are but little, shew it to have been a rectangular fortress: it evidently was destroyed by powder, as portions of the walls, measuring 5½ feet [1.65m] in thickness, lie in large masses at a considerable distance from the site of the building; one huge piece, of several tons weight, is 20 feet [6m] from its former position; the mortar of it is so good that the smallest stone could not be detached without considerable force being used. The only portion of the wall now standing shows the remains of a stone stairway’. Built of roughly coursed granite rubble, with split pinning stones laid in mortar, only a length (7m) of the NW wall (Wth 0.9m) and probable attached section of the NE wall survive, to a maximum height of c. 2m. The wall rests on a low plinth (H c. 0.2m) which projects out by c. 0.1m. Internally on the NW wall 3 broken treads of a stair survive, rising to the N. Immediately outside the wall, to the SSW, where it merges with a field wall, lies a large rebated and chamfered jambstone (L 1.2m; Wth 0.5-0.59m tapering towards the top; T 0.4m) from a doorway.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 6 December 2016

References

Comerford, Rev. M. 1883-6 Collections relating to the dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin, 3 vols. James Duffy and Sons. Dublin.