Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castle

The National Monuments Service's description

On a low rise on the floodplains of the N shore of Lough Ree with good views in all directions. This castle (ext. dims. 20.6m E–W; 10.5m N–S; wall T 1.7m) consists of the ruins of a long rectangular building (int. dims. 17.2m E–W; 7.1m N–S; max. H 5m at NE angle) constructed of roughly coursed rubble limestone with a high base-batter. Only the ground floor survives. The walls (int. H 0.7 3m) have collapsed and no clear architectural features are visible. However, the possible remains of a slit ope are evident in the centre of the E wall. It is possible that this building may be the remains of a hall-keep, which would have been part of a larger castle complex or it may be the remains of a hall-house. The latter is a small type of castle or stronghouse that originated in the early 13th century (Sweetman 1999, 89). An aerial photograph (CUCAP, BDV 51) shows its close proximity to the N shore of Lough Ree. The land from W-N-NNE is liable to flooding in winter and a narrow stretch of high land acts as a causeway to the E of the castle. This may have been the original access route to it in medieval times. It is also likely that it was accessed from the lake and there may be remains of a medieval or late medieval harbour on the shoreline close to it. In winter the shoreline is only c. 20m to the S compared to c. 40m in summer.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 25 September 2013