Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Westropp (1906-7, 212) recorded the following details about Lisnacullia Castle; '1289 Lysnekylle. Liosnacoille was built by the Mac Sheehies, who were settled there by Jas. Earl of Desmond after 1420 (Fitzgerald, i., p. 357). 1580 It was held by T. Caune, f. John, Geraldine at Desmond's rebellion; the C[astle] was part of the manor of Cleanlish; and by his son Maurice, in 1596 (Des. R., 73b; Peyton, p. 108; Fi. 5998; Inq. Exch., 11, 12, 20, 53, 54), granted to W. Trenchard; his heirs had a lawsuit with Maur. f. Tho. and Jas. Miagh, about Lishenekilly C[astle]. 1593 (Fi. 5078; Inq. Exch., 41). 1620 T. Gerald enfeoffed D. O'Brien in the C[astle]. (Inq. Chan., 55b). 1655 Sir E. Fitzgerald held it (B.D., 22k ; O.S., p. 76). 1668 Confirmed to N. Browne (Act Sett.). It was called "Woodfort" in 1840 (O.S.L., 9, p. 164).
Fabric - A peel tower; the main wing is three stories high, two under a vault, and is 35 feet [10.6m] by 20 feet 9 inches [6.3m] inside; the walls 5 feet [1.5m] thick. A square turret, with a spiral stair to the south-east, and vaulted rooms, 11 feet 3 inches [3.4m] by 7 feet 3 inches [2.2m]. It is four stories high, standing at the north-east corner. The top room is large and well built, with a cross-passage under its floor. It is reached by a detached stair, over a skew-arch, from the main building. A court lies to the south-east, with a turret two stories high, the lower vaulted at the south-east. The windows date about 1460-80. A stream flows near it'.
Oblique aerial photographs (CUCAP BGJ056/057/058) taken 17/07/1971 shows well preserved castle and bawn standing adjacent to farmyard.
Lisnacullia Castle and bawn (LI028-065001-) described by Salter (2004, 90) as follows; 'The MacSheehies are said to have erected this castle c. 1460-80. It has a main block measuring 13.9m by 9.3m with walls 1.5m thick above a battered base set on a cliff edge. The fireplaces in the west wall of the lowest two levels under a vault are insertions. Above there was just one lofty room. This too had a fireplace in the west wall but it was destroyed in the 1960s when the wall above collapsed. The wing clasping the SE corner contains a newel-stair reached from the main block by an awkward zig-zag passage, although there is no certain evidence of the wing being an addition. Two upper levels are reached from the main block by a second stair carried on a squinch arch over the northern re-entrant angle. There are fragments of a polygonal bawn measuring about 30m across with an outbuilding and square tower at the corner furthest from the main tower. The castle was confiscated after the 1579 Desmond rebellion and given to Thomas Caune. In 1620 it went to Donogh O'Brien, and in 1655 it was held by Sir Edward Fitzgerald'.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 8 December 2020

References

Salter, M. 2004 The castles of North Munster. Worcestershire. Folly Publications.

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

CUCAP - Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photographs. Unit for Landscape Modelling, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. See:https://www.cambridgeairphotos.com