Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

In gently undulating pasture. Five storey rectangular tower (c. 11.75m N-S; 8m E-W); only E and S walls now stand: E to full height (less battlements) and S to 2nd floor, though W stood to 'six feet' in 1840s (OSLB, vol. 2, 240). Entered through doorway, near S end of W wall, of which only S jamb survives. Immediately inside (to E) jamb is passage leading S, now filled with rubble; this probably let to base of spiral stairs in SW corner, only evidence for which is section of curved side-walling at 1st-floor level. Immediately E of latter passage is arched door into unlit mural chamber (3.8m E-W; 1.9m N-S) covered by wicker-centred vault. Only SE corner of main ground-floor chamber survives; chamber formerly covered by wicker-centred vault (N-S axis). First floor has blocked ope in S wall, a 'shot hole' according to Donnelly (1994, 103). Near S end of E wall is door leading to mural garderobe chamber (3.5m N-S; 0.65m E-W), covered by lintles and lit by two slit windows in E wall. Immediately N of door into latter chamber is door leading N into second mural chamber, covered by wicker-centred vault and lit by window in E wall with small linteled light. Second floor has window in S wall with wide rectangular light, divided by two mullions, one of which is gone, covered by hood moulding. This floor formerly covered by vault springing from E wall. Both 3rd and 4th floors have remains of mural chamber in SE corner, one of which contains garderobe whose shaft is evident through wall lower down. Top of E wall has line of gutter spouts draining wall walk; SE corner stands slightly higher and has slit on E side. East-of-centre on external S wall, at ground-floor level, short section of bawn wall protrudes (L c. 0.4m); this appears to be contemporary with tower. Judging by location of entrance door in W wall and exit for garderobes at base of S end of E wall, bawn probably on SW side of tower. However, ivy-clad wall (surviving L c. 6.2m; Wth 1.25m) outside (3.2m from SE corner) and at angle to E wall of indeterminate nature; at its N end is ruin of lime kiln of 19th-century appearance. A Geraldine castle which, though granted to St. Ledger in 1567 (Westropp 1906-7, 222) seems to have remained in Fitzegerald hands to 1655 when described as a 'ruined Castle and a Bawne' (Donnelly ibid.).

Compiled by: Denis Power

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

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

Donnelly, C.J. 1994 The Tower Houses of County Limerick, 3 vols, unpublished Phd thesis, Queens University, Belfast