Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in woodland c. 25m from the E shore of Lough Rinn, which is described as ‘Clam Lough’ on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony map where the castle is depicted as what might be two towers. The house of Mael Sechlainn MacRaighnaill was attacked by Tadhg MacRaighnall in 1473 when fourteen men were killed (AC), and this is thought to be at Lough Rinn (Mc Carthy 1989-90, 126). It is described as a castle ruin on an estate map (Wogan 1750, 22), and the terrier or commentary suggests that it might be easily repaired. This might have been done as the remains have been conserved.
The castle is a rectangular structure (ext. dims 10m N-S; 7m E-W) with battered walls and rounded corners, surviving to H of c. 7m, except for much of the S and E walls (H 1.5-3m; T 2m). A destroyed doorway (Wth 0.8m) towards the W end of the S wall leads through a lobby to the ground floor, which has the remains of an E-W barrel vault and a simple light in every wall except the S. A mural stairs rises eastwards from the lobby. The structure was illustrated by Daniel Grose in the late eighteenth century (Stalley 1991, 184-6). (McDermott 2019, 121-2)

See the attached section from the Down Survey barony map (N at right) reproduced courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 23 September 2008
Amended: 6 January 2020

References

McCarthy, J. 1989-90 The importance of the tower house in the late medieval society of Breifne. Journal of Cumann Seanchas Breifne (Breifne Historical Society) 8 (1), 118-35.

Stalley, R. (ed.) 1991 Daniel Grose (c. 1766–1838). The antiquities of Ireland, a supplement to Francis Grose. Dublin. The Irish Architectural Archive.

McDermott, J. J. 2019 Late medieval strongholds of the Gaelic Irish in County Leitrim. in In Kelly, L. and Scott, B. Leitrim: History and Society, 103-27. Dublin, Geography Publications

Wogan, W. 1750 A Book of Maps of the Estates belonging to Nathaniel Clements Esqr. In the Parishes of Mohill & Cloone, in the County of Leitrim. Unpublished folio of manuscript maps in the National Library of Ireland (14 A 16)

AC - Annala Connacht: The Annals of Connacht (A.D. 1224-1544). A. Martin Freeman (ed.). Dublin, Institute of Advanced Studies 1944