Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on top of high ground in upland area. Circular tower (diam 9.2m; wall T 1.7m) four storeys high built with roughly coursed limestone rubble with base batter evident. The E side of the tower is destroyed, with evidence of wooden floors carried on stone corbels with punch dressing and drafted margins. There are two gun loops at ground floor with a mural passage leading to a garderobe in the SW angle at first floor level. The top two storeys are covered in ivy making examination difficult. Evidence of two fireplaces at SW and NW faces with two surviving tall rectangular shaped chimney stacks protruding from the top of the tower. The top two floors have a square interior plan with a circular exterior plan unlike the bottom two floors which are circular both inside and outside. There is evidence of a bawn wall attached to SW side of tower which returns NE where it is defined by grass covered rubble and would have returned onto the NE side of the tower. Overall the bawn (OF038-016002-) would have measured approximately 29.6m N-S by 24m E-W. Later 19th century demesne walls can be seen to the N with a 19th-century house built to the SE directly on line with the original bawn wall. O' Carroll castle (Cooke 1875, 186).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 23 May 2011

References

Cooke, T.L. 1875 The early history of the town of Birr. Dublin. Robertson.