Bawn

The National Monuments Service's description

Westropp (1906-7, 212) recorded the following details about Lisnacullia Castle (LI028-065----) and bawn; '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 [LI028-065001-] 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. Castle and bawn 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'.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 8 December 2020

References

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

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

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