Castle - hall-house

The National Monuments Service's description

In grounds of country house, between holy well (LI038-106006-) and motte (LI038-106005-); within or near site of medieval borough (LI038-106001-). Fragmentary ivy-clad remains of rectangular hall (18.75m E-W; 14.8m N-S), with rectangular off-centre projection added to E (6.2m N-S; 8m E-W) and W (6.9m N-S; 8.1m E-W) ends.
Main block built of roughly coursed sandstone blocks, with a low shallow batter; quoins robbed from each corner. Doorway in centre of E wall has 19th-century gate piers in place of door but draw-bar socket survives; interior has inserted partition wall when converted to use as a farm building in 19th century. On N side of doorway base of spiral stairs survives. Interior lit by five narrow slit windows: three in N wall, and one each in W and S walls; no light survives but embrasures covered by plank-centred rounded vaults with lintels towards outer edge. Addition at E end now has farm trackway running through it so that E wall stands in isolation. It had doorway in S wall as draw-bar socket survives; single slit window in E wall much ruined but similar to those in main block. Addition at W end only part of structure to stand to first-floor level but is very ruined and choked with collapsed masonry; appears to have had vault over ground floor, and slit window in N wall at first-floor level. Probably remains of rectangular 13th century hall house, with entrance porch added at E end, and a possible service tower added at w end. Earliest references to castle here are 14th century (Westropp 1906-7, 229); in 1610 described as the 'old castle' of Castletown (ibid.).
Described in the Urban Survey of Limerick (Bradley et. al. 1989, 99) as following; 'Lewis (1837, i, 309) seems to be the source of the statement that a castle was built here by MacEneiry in 1349 but, since he quotes no source, this is by no means clear. It is to be assumed that the castle is the successor of the motte and it is possible that it may have been built by Thomas de Clare. This large 13th/14th century rectangular keep is very ruined but appears to have consisted of a two storeyed hall oriented east/west with barrel vaulted towers on the east and west sides. The hall is used as a slurry-pit but appears to have had deeply splaying embrasures in the north and south walls with narrow loops. A spiral stairs on the east wall gave access to the first floor. Only the east wall, with short returns of the north and south walls, of the east tower survive c.3.5m high with a blocked deeply splayed loop in the centre of the wall. The west tower is also very ruined but it is clear that the ground floor was covered by barrel vault, much of which has collapsed. It was lit from the west by a narrow loop in a deeply splayed embrasure. The first floor was lit from the north by a splayed single-light window, now blocked. The collapse of the tower has brought much of the west wall of the hall down and the tower is full of collapsed masonry'.

Compiled by: Denis Power

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 21 May 2019

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1989 Urban archaeological survey - county Limerick (3 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

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

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.