Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Marked as a structure on the 1837 and 1914 eds of the OS 6-inch map, and situated at the NE edge of a karst limestone outcrop which is at the top of Cregga Hill. It is traditionally regarded as the site of a Mac Dermot Roe castle, although it is more likely to be O'Conor Roe (Lewis 1837, vol. 2, 217). A rectangular structure (int. dims 8.3m N-S; 3.8m N-S; H 2.6m) is excavated in a rock face, with a destroyed fireplace (Wth 1.8m) and flue in the masonry face of the W wall. There is a blocked doorway (Wth 0.9m) towards the E end of the N wall with a cupboard (Wth 0.9m; D 0.4m; H 1.2m) beside it. A masonry vault is built overhead (H c. 4m) with a window under the vault in the E wall and a doorway (Wth 0.8m; H 1.6m) under the vault in its W wall (T 1.3m plus). This doorway leads onto the top of the outcrop but there is no evidence of further floors. The building was converted into a coach house when a large flat-arched doorway (Wth 2.15m; H 3.15m) with an external rebate was inserted into the E wall. House (RO023-200002-) is c. 100m to the E. (Kennedy 2000)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

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

Kennedy, M. 2000 The highs and lows of the Cregga Hills. Journal of the Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society 8, 80-2.