Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Lickadoon Castle described by the Ordnance Survey as 'this castle is about 60 feet [18.3m] high and in a square form of about 20 feet [6.1m] side' (OSNB Caheravally Parish, 279). The building was described in 1840 as 'on a level spot of land. At the eastern end it has a square tower not distinguishable from the rest of the building on the outside. This tower, which contains the stairs leading to the top of the castle, measures fifteen and a half feet by seven and a half feet (inside). The main body of the castle or western portion measures twenty three feet three inches by sixteen feet three inches (inside). It had five floors, of which the second remains, the three upper ones having been destroyed. The walls are about seventy feet high and eight feet ten inches in thickness' (OSL Caheravally Parish, 53).
Westropp (1906-07, 88) recorded the following details about Lickadoon Castle and bawn (LI013-104001-); '1336 Leakdon vill and "fossa" held by Bishop Maur[ice]. de Rupefort (B.B.L., p. 138). 1351 W. de Bermingham held Kathirlagh, Athnedesche, and Lekedon (Pipe R.) 1581 W. duff Hurley, of Lickadowne, pardoned (Fi., 3768). 1585 Dermod O'Hurly, "Titular" Archbishop of Cashel, who had been born at "Lycadoon," was executed in Dublin (O'Reilly "Memorials," p. 55). 1600 garrisoned by Carew (Pac. Hib. I., p. 86). 1607 Dom Roche, C[astle]. of Lyckadowne, alias Kiltourge (Inq. Chan., 2a). 1655 The C[astle]. bawne, and twelve cabins held by Jordan Roche (C.S., xxix., p. 19) granted to Duke of York, and in 1703 sold to Dr. T. Smith, Bishop of Limerick.
Fabric - A peel tower, 70 feet [21.3m] high, 15½ feet [4.7m] by 7½ feet [2.3m] inside; walls, 8 feet 10 inches [2.7m] thick; the spiral stair in the eastern section, with the usual large gables and slit windows (O.S.L., 8, p. 151)'.
Donnelly (1999, 33) stated that the 'sketch of Lickadoon included with O'Donovan's Ordnance Survey Letters (1840, Vol 2, 53) shows a building which is similar externally to buildings in Type 1, but the damaged and truncated ruins that survive today could belong to any one of that group's five sub-divisions'.

See attached drawing of castle c. 1840 taken from Ordnance Survey Letters

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 26 November 2020

References

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

Westropp, T.J. 1906-7 The ancient castles of the county of Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 26, 54-264.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1929 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Limerick collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. Bray

Donnelly, C.J. 1999 A Typological Study of the Tower Houses of County Limerick. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 129, 19-39.