Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Westropp (1906/7, 193) recorded the following details about Creggane or Hakmys Castle; '1297 and 1309 Phil de Prendergast had a suit with H. de Capella about Acmys or Akynnys (Plea. R.). 1583 Castle Creggan, in Cosmaye or Craigin (Des. R., 68; Inq. Exch., Jac. L, No. 17). 1657 Cragan C[astle]. is shown as a turreted peel tower, and a bawn (D.S.A., 46). Craggane and Ballyngaule, or Glinhare, on border of Cork, a C[astle]. and bawn out of repair, J. Supple (C.S., xxiv., p. 14). Fabric - It had recently been lowered and roofed in 1840. It was 34 feet [10.3m] by 26 feet [8m] outside walls, 5 feet [1.5m] thick, with three stories, the lowest vaulted (O.S.L., 8, p. 86).
The 1654-6 Down Survey map of Effin Parish shows a tower house type structure standing in the centre of a square-shaped bawn (LI047-029001-) (NLI, Ms 718). The terrier of the Down Survey parish map recorded that John Supple an Irish Papist was the owner of the lands of Creggan on which there stood a castle (ibid.). The 1659 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that John Supple of Creggane was the owner of this townland on which there stood 'a Castle and a Bawne out of repaire and an orchard on the p'[re]misses' (Simington 1938, 129).
In 1840 the Ordnance Survey recorded that there was 'an old castle attached to this house (Creggaun House)' (OSNB Hackmys parish). The Ordnance Survey Letters recorded that the 'old Castle of Gregaun, situated on a small hill in the Townland of the same name, has been lowered and newly roofed by Mr. Hutchins, to whose dwelling house it is attached. It measures thirty four feet [10.3m] by twenty six feet [8m] on the outside, its walls being about forty five feet [13.7m] high at present and five feet [1.5m] in thickness. It now contains but three stories. The floor over the ground one is arched' (O'Flanagan 1929, 31).
The outline of this castle is clearly shown on the 1897 ed. OSi 25-inch map where it is depicted as a rectangular-shaped structure standing the in the centre of a range of buildings belonging to Creggane Castle. The most recent 5k OSi map shows the partial remains of the medieval castle of which only the W end of the S wall and W wall remains above ground. The 18th century house annotated Creggane Castle on the OSi maps was described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) as 'a modest late eighteenth-century house, has been heavily altered' (https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/21904702/creggane-castle-creggane-county-limerick; NIAH Reg. No. 21904702). Creggane Castle described by Salter (2004, 98) as follows; ‘Lowered and given a new roof in 1840, and now reduced to the SE and SW walls with two loops and evidence of second storey vaulting’.

See attached Down Survey map of Effin Parish which shows a tower house standing in the centre of a bawn.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 20 August 2021

References

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.

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

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

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.

OSNB - Ordnance Survey Name Books. Pro-forma books arranged by Civil Parish for recording townland and other name-forms and compiled in the course of the OS 6-inch survey 1824-1841. The name books also include minor names and incidental references to antiquities. National Archives of Ireland.

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.