Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the S-facing slope of a hill in pasture. A possible moated site (TN014-049001-) is located immediately N of the tower house and a circular enclosure lies S of it, though neither are visible above ground. The projecting NW angle tower and length of N wall (T 0.9m) are all that survive of this limestone tower house. The foundations of the remainder can be followed to some extent. The full S length of the tower house is c. 9.1m and the W wall is c. 12m long. The angle tower is four storeys high. It has the remains of a barrel vault over the first floor and two garderobes in the N wall at first-floor level. Surviving fenestration in the angle tower consists of one simple slit, one ogee-headed and one flat-headed window. There is no evidence of a doorway. FitzPatrick (1985, vol. 2, part 4, 13-24) notes that the tower house was built on an earthen mound, best preserved in the SE and SW quadrants, the latter being c. 1.8m above external ground level. Portion of a fosse (Wth 3m) survives around the base of the mound with a causeway at SSW.

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008

References

FitzPatrick, E. 1985 An archaeological survey of castles in the barony of Lower Ormond, vols. 1-4. Unpublished typescript. National Monuments Section, Heritage and Planning Division, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin.