Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Rathcannon Castle and bawn (LI039-027001-) described by the Ordnance Survey in 1840 as follows; ‘In the townland of Rathcannon on a lofty hill in this parish, are the ruins of an extensive Castle. It consists of an outer wall enclosing a great extent of ground with a square tower and dwelling house now much ruined. The dwelling house is on the west side and is now thatched and inhabited by a poor family. The square tower or castle is in the northwest corner, but only its north wall and a fragment of the west and east walls remain. Its north side measures on the outside thirty three feet seven inches [10.2m] and is at present about thirty feet [9m] in height. The walls of this tower are four feet seven inches [1.4m] in thickness and well built. The east side of the outer wall or bawn [LI039-027001-] of this castle is thirty five paces [27m] in length and the north side forty paces [30m]. The four walls form nearly a square, but they are now so ruined that it is difficult to ascertain their original height or whether they had more than one tower. They are four feet three inches [1.3m] thick and the north wall, which is in tolerable preservation, is not less than seventeen feet [5m] high, but no part of the south wall is more than ten feet [3m] high. At the north east corner there are two flights of stone steps leading to the top of the wall’ (O’Flanagan 1929, 111). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that in 1641 Mrs. Ann Casey, a protestant was the owner of the lands in Rathcannon which contained a 'castle a bawne [LI039-027001-] & an orchard' (Simington 1938, 127).
Westropp (1906-7, 168-9) recorded the following details about Rathcannon Castle; 'A manor of the Earl of Kildare; after the attainder of Silken Thomas, the Manors of Adare, Crome, Rachanan [Rathcannon], and Tobernea were in the King's hands, 1540 (C.S.P.I., p. 254). 1583 J. and Moriert Buy macKynery had been slain at Rachanyn, in rebellion of Gerald, Earl of Desmond (Inq. Exch., 38). 1622 Jas. Casey settled his C[astle]. of Rathcannon (Inq. Exch., 198). 1624 Sir W. Parson held C[astle]. late estate of J. Casey (Inq. Chan., 44, 190). Sir Drury Wray, by his marriage with the eldest dau. of T. Casey (who died 1637), and his wife, Bridget, dau. of Sir J. Dowdall, of Kilfenny, succeeded to Rathcannon (see Trustee Map, 16).
Fabric - The C[astle]. is on a bold, rocky ridge, and consists of a walled court [LI039-027001-], with a square tower to the north-west, and a residence to the west. The tower is broken ; the north wall, 33½ feet [10.2m] long, and parts of the sides remain it is 30 feet [9.1m] high, with walls 4½ feet [1.4m] thick. The east face of the court is 105 feet [32m] long, the north 120 [36.6m] feet. At the north-east angle are two flights of steps to the top of the wall; no ornamental features remain' (O.S.L., 9, p. 371).
Rathcannon Castle described by Salter (2004, 93) as follows; 'Footings of a wall 1m thick enclose a bawn [LI039-027001-] 40m by 30m with a low cliff below the east side, where a higher fragment remains at the chamfered-off SW corner. Footings of a building lie in the NW corner, and at the SW corner is a fragmentary tower house 10m by 7.8m with evidence of a former vault over the third storey. Adjoining the destroyed east side of the tower was a later wing, now represented by footings and its end gable with fireplaces on two levels. This Casey seat, originally a possession of the earls of Kildare, passed by marriage to Sir Drury Wray but in 1624 was held by Sir William Parson'. Listed by Donnelly (1999, 37) as a Type 5 tower house which consists of tower houses with 'rectangular floor plans each of which is unique to an individual site, though each building had architectural features which placed them firmly within the Irish Gothic tower house tradition' (ibid. 22).
Castle walls partially collapsed in October 2017 as a result of Hurricane Ophelia.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 25 April 2021

References

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.

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

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1929 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Limerick collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. Bray

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.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).

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.