Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on grassland immediately W of a stream and 110m W of the Morningstar River. On the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map the castle building is shown standing in the N quadrant of a woodland plantation. No surface remains visible today of castle site on Digital Globe aerial photographs. Castle depicted standing beside the river on the 1654-57 Down Survey map of Atheneasy parish (NLI, Ms 718).
Gormanstown Castle described by Westropp (1906-7, 184) as following; '1574 Pardon to Edm. Fox, alias Boskagh, of Gormanstown (Fi. 2472). 1583 Ballygorman, alias Gormanstown, in Poblebuskagh, alias Foxe's country, Jas. ffoxe (Des. R., 3b ; Peyton, p. 11). It was held by the same family till 1655; Gormanstown, decayed C[astle], Edm. ffox. (C.S., xxxi., p. 13).
Fabric - It stands beside the Morning Star River; and measures 17½ feet [5.3m] by 8 feet [2.4m] inside; walls, 3 feet 9 inches [1.14m] thick. Two doors to the east and west, the latter carved with crosses and circles. It is 24 feet [7.3m] high, and has the lower room vaulted (O.S.L., 8, p. 275).' The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Edmond Ffox of Bulgaden possessed in the townlands of Adamstown and Gormanstown, 'two decayed Castles [LI040-167-] 12 Cabbins & a Mill Seat upon it' (Simington 1938, 102).
Castle remains described in 1942-3 as, 'Only a fragment of the west wall of this castle remains' (O'Kelly 1943, 170).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 24 February 2020

References

O'Kelly, M.J. 1942-3 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 3, 75-97, 169-84, 222-46.

NLI, MS 718 - National Library of Ireland, Parish maps with terriers, showing forfeited lands in County Limerick, commonly known as the "Down Survey", executed under the direction of Sir William Petty, 1657, and copied by Daniel O'Brien, 1786.

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.