Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 292-3) mentions several castles in Callan, though these are difficult to precisely locate. According to Carrigan (ibid. 293), ‘Upon and inside it [Callan] there were several castles. One of these stood on the site now occupied by Mrs. Meany's Grocery and Spirit Establishment; another at the opposite corner of the street, in Mr. James Pollard’s yard, where one of its cut-stone gothic doors is still preserved’. This suggests that the castle (KK026-010003-) occupied by Meany’s c. 1900 and the castle (KK026-010004-) opposite it, is at the crossroads in the centre of town, one possibly occupying the NW angle and the other located in a yard in the opposite SW angle (Farrelly et al. 1993, vol. 1, 114-15; vol. 2, map 7:4). A drawing c. 1813 shows the tops of four tower houses from near St Augustine's Well, one of which, according to Manning (1998, 66) is , 'near the corner of Green (South) St. and West St.' which suggests that the tower house survived in good condition until the first half of the 19th century. It is described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) (ibid. 55) with property 63 as, 'A slated house, 2 storeys high. A demolished castle at the west side of the same, 3 storeys high, length 45 foot, broad 21. No garden. Five rooms, 1 chimney'. The owner is given as, 'Garrald ffittz Garrald' with 'George Darker P[rotestan]t' as the tenant (ibid.).
A two-storey hipped-roof building currently occupies the SW angle, presenting three bays on West Street and two bays on Green Street, with a shop at ground level, with a yard to the rear. It is possible that medieval fabric, including the medieval doorway, is incorporated in the buildings facing onto this yard.

See attached:
KK026-010004-_01 Drawing c. 1813 in Manning 1998, 66, fig. 16

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 8 June 2022

References

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.

Farrelly, J., O'Reilly, B., and Loughran, A. 1993 Urban archaeological survey - county Kilkenny (2 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Manning, C. 1998 The Civil Survey of Inistioge and Callan, Co. Kilkenny. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries 128, 48-73.