Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

In the first half of the 19th century, Robertson made several sketches of St Mary’s church (KK026-010012-) in Callan and of the town itself and included in the sketches is an urban tower house (Manning 1998, 68-9). On one version, printed in 1851, the tower house is shown N of church, roughly on the same line as the church tower. The S portion of the rear, E wall, is drawn as a three storey building with a somewhat ruinous parapet, defined by a string-course, with a chimney mid-way along the parapet. It has a hipped-roof in good condition. There are well-cut quoins on the SE angle. At ground-floor level there is an arched opening which appears to be blocked up, as there is a square feature in the centre of the blocking, possibly a plaque associated with the adjoining graveyard. There are two narrow loops at first-floor level and at second floor level an inserted window at the S end (8 over 8 panes, probably timber sash) and a loop N of this.
Fabric of this tower house is possibly incorporated in the three-storey building with attic which currently occupies the site. It presents a four-bay elevation facing Green Street and a three-bay side elevation facing Mill Street (https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12314058/old-charter-house-the-green-street-edmund-ignatius-rice-street-mill-street-callan-south-callan-kilkenny; accessed 7 June 2022). The N end of the roof is hipped and the S end gabled, with a slate-hung gable to the roof height of the attached two-storey building. The other external faces are rendered. There are two large chimney stacks orientated E-W. The building was probably largely remodelled in the mid-18th century when it was established as a charter school.

See attached:
KK026-010005-_01 Sketch by Robertson 1851
KK026-010005-_02 Sketch by Robertson in Manning 1998, 69
KK026-010005-_03 Sketch by Robertson in Manning 1998, 69

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 7 June 2022

References

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

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