Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on the NE end of a natural platform of rock outcrop which has been quarried into in places, particularly SW of the tower house. It is a likely to have been the source of building material for the tower house. The outcrop occurs in an area of rolling pastureland. Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as 'a stumpe of a castle wch was never finished' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 16). 'John O Magher of Clonekeany Esqr. Irish Papist' is listed as proprietor (ibid.). The tower house (ext. dims. 12.15m NW-SE x 10.7m NE-SW; wall T 0.76-1.25m) is four storeys high, constructed of roughly coursed rubble of local sandstone, with limestone surrounds and block and start quoins, and a projecting turret at the E angle. The walls have a slight splay but no real batter. The building is entered at ground-floor level in the NE face. The door surround is destroyed, however, above it there is an elaborate wall-niche with chamfered surround surmounted by a pediment. The niche has curving margins on either side. This presumably contained the coat of arms and/or foundation date or inscription, however there is no visible trace of the stone. The main doorway led into a lobby, only scant remains of which survive, with an internal wall projecting from the NE wall and a jamb projecting from the SE wall. There is no evidence of a garderobe. All upper floors, which were wooden and carried in the thickness of the wall or supported by corbels, were accessed from spiral stairs in the projecting turret. Each floor in this turret is lit by a narrow light with accompanying gun loop. There are no windows in the main block at ground-floor level, but there is a flat-headed single light in each face at first-floor level and larger flat-headed windows in each face at second and third-floor level. A window embrasure in the NW wall at second-floor level has a wooden lintel in situ. At first and second-floor level there is a large fireplace in the SW wall, with stone lintels and mantels - the second floor example is four-centred with chamfered surround and chamfered mantel. There is an elaborate fireplace in the NE wall at third-floor level. It is flat-lintelled with moulded surround and stylised foliage motif running along the lintel with a curving mantle overhead which has partially collapsed. Masonry does not survive above third-floor level.

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

This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 70/1938).

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1931 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol I: county of Tipperary: eastern and southern baronies. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.