Building

The National Monuments Service's description

In the grounds of Kilrush House, on the floor of the Nuenna river valley. The river flows c. 100m to the S. A tower house (KK013-012----) lies c. 110m to the WSW and a medieval church (KK013-011001-) is located c. 125m to the NNW. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 257) the castle was in the possession of the Shortall family until the Cromwellian Land Settlement in the 1650-60s. Following this the castle and adjoining house (KK013-155----) was occupied by the St. Georges until they built the present Kilrush House in approximately 1818 (ibid.).
Aligned NW-SE (described as N-S for convenience), forming the southernmost building in a range of later outbuildings. The building is indicated on the OS 6-inch and 25-inch maps, but not as an antiquity. Externally a later stone wall runs SW from the SW angle and another runs NE from mid-way along the E wall.
A rectangular gabled three-storey building (ext. dims. c. 13.3m N-S; 7.53m E-W; int. dims. 10.28m N-S; 4.65m E-W; wall T S gable 1.54m; E wall 1.44m) with a barrel-vaulted roof (total H c. 4m above floor level) over the first-floor (more properly a loft level), with good survival of wicker-centring. Built of roughly coursed limestone rubble. The masonry at ground and first-floor level (H c. 4m) is well bonded. The masonry above the vault, while also of roughly coursed limestone rubble, appears to be of a different quality and the presence of a projecting flat-stone string course (c. 5.5m above ground level) at second-floor level, suggests this is a later phase, though the well-cut block and start quoins, visible at the SE and SW angles, are consistent throughout. The side walls were surmounted by a flat-stone eaves course, similar to the string course, though only those on the W wall survive. There is wide gap in the masonry at the N end of the W wall which has been partially refaced in brick on the S side. The gap rises from the haunches of the vault to the top of the wall but is not visible internally. Above the vault the inaccessible upper storey of the building is heavily overgrown with scrub. The N gable wall is overgrown with ivy, as is the internal face of the S gable. The adjoining single-storey building to the N has a slate roof.
The original entrance to the building does not survive. It may have been in the centre of the S gable, however the masonry here has been broken out, rebuilt and plastered, forming a later doorway (Wth 1.18m; H c. 1.8m). A pointed doorway at the N end of the W wall gives access to a small stair lobby (L 2.09m; H 1.37m), lit by a blocked-up loop at the N end of the W wall. The S jambs of the doorway are missing, as is the lowest jamb on the N side. The mural stair in the N wall is blocked up. There is a hanging-eye for the door on the S side of the door embrasure, within the lobby.
At ground-floor level there is a modified window at the S end of the E wall within a flat-headed hour-glass splaying embrasure (splaying internally and externally), the N portion of the splay has been broken out to create a larger flat-headed window. There is a segmental-headed recess (Wth 1.73m; D 0.9m; H 1.73m) with wicker-centring at the N end of the E wall which contains a block-up modified window and another blocked-up window (flat-headed embrasure Wth 0.87m; H 1.44m; H above ground 0.73m) at the S end of the W wall. There are two wall cupboards at ground-floor level, one (Wth 0.62m; D 0.78m; H 0.7m; H above ground 0.32m) towards the W end of the N gable and one (Wth 0.64m; D 0.53m; H 0.54m; H above ground 0.7m) N of centre in the E wall.
The first-floor was carried on a wooden floor, though only one supporting corbel survives, in the W wall. It is a poorly lit loft space, with no obvious entrance, suggesting that it was accessed through the wooden floor via a wooden stair or ladder from the ground floor. It was possibly lit by a window in centre of the S gable, as though the masonry there has been broken out, there is the suggestion of a straight-sided embrasure.
The second floor was lit by two small windows, just above the string course, one roughly centrally placed in the W wall and the other N of centre in the E wall. That in the W wall is blocked up, it appears to have had a wooden lintel, supported above by voussoirs set on edge. The window in the E wall is similar, though only the jambs and thin voussoirs set on edge survive.
The original phase of this building, consisting of the ground and first floor (loft) appears to be late medieval in date, 15th/16th century. The upper level probably dates to the 18th century, though a late 17th-century date is possible.

See attached photographs:
KK013-154----_01 Exterior – S gable and W wall
KK013-154----_02 Exterior – from W
KK013-154----_03 Exterior –E wall
KK013-154----_04 Interior from N
KK013-154----_05 Interior S end of E wall
KK013-154----_06 Interior – opening in S gable
KK013-154----_07 Interior – N gable and doorway at N end of W wall
KK013-154----_08 Interior –doorway at N end of W wall
KK013-154----_09 Interior –stair lobby in NW angle from doorway

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 12 October 2022