Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

On a slight promontory with a deep ravine to the N and overlooking Caherglassaun Lough from E to S. In existence in 1574 when it was the possession of ‘Oheyn’ (Nolan 1901, 114). This rectangular tower house (9.35m E-W, 8.1m N-S ) survives to a height of three/four storeys. It is constructed of large well-coursed limestone blocks and mortar, and dressed quoinstones; the latter have been robbed out of the SE corner. A base-batter rises to the 1st-floor level. The original doorway, much destroyed, is in the E wall. It accesses a small lobby with an overhead murder-hole. Further doorways off it lead to the stairs to the N and the main ground-floor room to the W. The stairs runs straight initially but spirals anticlockwise from the NE corner to the top of the tower. Only a few of its steps survive. It is lit by flat-headed loops and angle loop at 1st-floor level. The floor of the main room is littered with rubble due to the collapse of the internal wall-faces of the W and N walls. It was lit by three narrow slit windows set in deep embrasures. Only that in the S wall survives intact. Those in the W and N walls are destroyed; a large breach marks the location of that in the N wall. Due to collapse of the wall-face, the garderobe exit chute is visible both internally and externally at the W end of the N wall. Corbels in the N and S walls indicate that the floor above was wooden. There is a stone vault between the 1st/2nd floor. A fireplace in the S wall in the main room on the 1st floor is a later insertion as it blocks an earlier single-light ogee-headed, which is visible in the external wall-face. The windows in the W and N walls at this level comprise square two lights (both missing their central mullion) and a rectangular flat-headed light in the E wall that was inserted into an earlier slit window. An intramural garderobe passage, in the haunches of the vault, is accessed off the stairwell and runs E-W along the N wall. It is lit by two flat-headed loops. Another opening off the stairs above this accesses a narrow chamber running N-S along the E wall. It is lit by a flat-headed loop in the S wall. The 2nd floor comprised one room but it is not accessible. The original parapets are gone, apparently felled by an earthquake in 1755 (Mac Eoin 1981). (Nolan 1901, 114; Fahey 1893, 113).

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 27 August 2021

The following image has been uploaded: GA122-029-----03.jpg View from E

References

Fahey, J.A. 1893 (Reprint 1986) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Kilmacduagh. Galway. Kenny Gallery.

Nolan, J.P. 1901a Galway castles and owners in 1574. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 1, 109-23.

Mac Eoin, F.L. Earthquake in Kinvara. Tracht (2nd issue). Kinvara Community Council.