Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Oola Castle possibly stands on top of Oola Hill with extensive earthworks of possible deserted settlement (LI033A002007-) to N and W. This area is annotated 'Pollardstown' on Petty's map of 1685. Oola Church site (LI033A002001-) and graveyard (LI033A002002-) located 1.26km to W. Castle stands 980m NW of county boundary with Tipperary. O’Donovan recorded the following details about Oola Castle; ‘The other remains of antiquity in this Parish are those of two Castles, which would appear to have been erected in the reign of Queen Elizabeth or James 1. One of these is in the townland of Oola; it is a square structure in tolerable preservation measuring about twenty feet [6.1m] square and sixty feet [18.3m] high’ (OSL Oola Parish, 129). The 1654-7 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that the townland of 'Pollordstown' [Pollardstown also known as Ulla or Oola) which in 1640 was in the possession of James Butler recently deceased and his 'relictt' Mary Butler who was the owner of 'a Mill and a broken Castle' (Simington 1938, 19). A castle is depicted standing in the townland of Pollardstown on the 1657 Down Survey map of Coonagh Barony (Hib. Reg.).
Oola Castle described by Westropp (1906-07, 103) as following; '1282 Welese (Ullish) granted by citizens of Limerick to J. fitzThomas (C.S.P.I., p. 429). 1285-7 Uladh or Uibhla named in some copies of "Wars of Torlough," as on line of Torlough O'Brien's raid. 1306 Wlys (Oolys). 1542 Owleys. 1544 See under Tough (87, supra) for the "Oolde children" robbers. The name is Ullay, Ullish, Oolde, and Oola, from its orchards. 1551, &c. In 1572 Tirrelagh mac Brien held one castle at Knockowlow (Inq. Exch. 7, 10), of which the C[astle]. townland, "Oola Hills," is a translation. 1586 Knockowleye, held by Knonogher ohowan mac Brian Ogonanoght (Peyton, p. 247). 1655 See Parish maps (C.S., xxiii., pp. 3-11, and Petty, 67).
Fabric - A shapely tower, with four gables and lofty chimneys, battlements, and projecting bartizans. The larger windows have mullions, and it is probably little, if at all older than 1500. It is about 60 feet [18.3m] high and 20 feet [6.1m] square in under room (O.S.L., p. 428)'. The following folklore about Oola Castle was collected from Newtown, National School Co. Tipperary; ' The old people maintain that this castle was built with mortar made from bullock's blood and curds of milk, and that is the reason why the castle is so strong and able to stand against the weather' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0578, Page 043; accessible online at www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922289/4867445/5051677). Castle and earthworks are clearly visible on oblique aerial photographs taken 20/07/1968 and 10/07/1969 (CUCAP AVT044-047; AYO037-038).
According to Donnelly (1999, 31; 2010, 198) Oola Castle was an example of a Type 4 late tower house which belonged to the last phase of the tower house building tradition in Limerick.
Castle described by Salter (2004, 92) as a 'four-gabled late 16th century O'Brien tower with circular bartizans on the NE and SW corners measures 11.8m by 8.6m. The end has a tier of rooms over the blocked entrance and there is a spiral staircase in the SE corner. The upper three levels have two-light windows with hoodmoulds and fireplaces in the east and west end walls'.

See attached ground plan of Oola Castle taken from Donnelly 1999, 32 and 1657 Down Survey map of Coonagh Barony.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 7 October 2020

References

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

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

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1938 The civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IV: county of Limerick, with a section of Clanmaurice barony Co. Kerry. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

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.

Hibernia Regnum: A set of 214 barony maps of Ireland dating to the period AD 1655-59. The original parish maps have been lost but the Hibernia Regnum maps are preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (Goblet 1932, v-x). Photographic facsimiles of these maps were published by the Ordnance Survey, Southampton in 1908.

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.

Donnelly, C. J. (2010) The Tower Houses of Co. Limerick. In R. Stalley (Ed.), Limerick and South-West Ireland:
Medieval Art and Architecture, 189-201. British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions. Maney Publishing.