Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

On a small limestone island (50m x 20m), now attached to the E shore of Castlelough Bay in Lough Leane by a narrow causeway (L 80m; Wth 10m). The fragmentary ivy-clad remains of a tower (max. H c. 6m) stand at the NE corner of the island. It is built of random rubble bonded by a lime mortar and stands directly on the bedrock. It consists of a rectangular block (8.9m N-S; 7.3m E-W) conjoined on its W side to a larger rectangular block (6.9m E-W; min. 10m N-S). The latter section was modified in the 19th century to create a viewing platform though these alterations are now largely ruinous. The E block contains a rectangular chamber (3.3m E-W; 2.6m N-S) whose SE corner is missing. In the thickness of its N wall are two vertical shafts which must once have served garderobes at a higher level; on the exterior N face is a wide arched opening which is probably associated with these shafts. At the N end of the W block is a chamber (3.8m E-W; 1.65m N-S) covered by a wicker-centred vault which has collapsed. The W half of this room's S wall has fallen but was probably the position of a doorway giving access to a larger room (4.2m E-W; min. 6m N-S) to the S. This latter room was covered by a wicker-centred vault, now almost entirely fallen. The E wall of this room does not survive though it extended at least 3.3m beyond the E block. The N wall of the W block is carried forward c. 1m beyond the line of the E block.
Castlelough Castle (or Poolcastle) is now very fragmentary but was once a substantial tower house erected by the Mac Carthy More in the 15th/16th century (Barrington 1976, 204-5). The castle was reduced to its present state when razed by Parliamentary forces in 1652 (Anon. 1913, 83).

Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork.

Date of upload: 31 January 2011