Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

National Monument No. 234. Located at the base of a gentle NE-facing slope on a flat plain. Described in the Civil Survey 1654-6 as 'a castle in repaire' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 63). Theobald Purcell is listed as proprietor in 1640 (ibid.). A round, four-storey with parapet, tower house (int. dim. 5.95m; ext. dim. 10.7m; wall T at base 3.1m) of late sixteenth-century date composed of roughly coursed limestone rubble with base-batter. The batter (H 2.5-3m; Wth 0.3m) rests on a stone plinth which protrudes out 0.12m. The garderobe exit is at SW. The windows at ground-floor level have an external splaying chamfer with punch tooling on the lintel and shot-holes on either side. The base-batter terminates on either side of the entrance. This is at E and consists of a pointed doorway with yett-holes on either side and a musket-hole below the S yett-hole. This leads to a lobby protected by a murder-hole. A guardroom, with good wicker centring, lies to the NW, with a cupboard in the back wall and a shot-hole. Directly in front of the main entrance there is a pointed doorway leading into the ground floor which has a rough, cobbled surface. Lights in the SE, SW and NW wall are set in deep straight-sided embrasures with shot-holes on either side. The first floor is entered through a pointed doorway at SE, and is lit by two flat-headed windows with accompanying gun loops. This floor has a dome vault overhead. Spiral stairs to the S of the main entrance serve all upper floors and mural chambers. A small mural chamber, between the first and second-floor levels has a murder-hole in the floor. It is lit by a flat-headed window in the centre of the NE wall with gun loops on either side and has a wall-cupboard at the end of the chamber. The second and subsequent floors have been squared internally. A central fireplace in the W wall of the second floor is decorated with rope-twist roll-moulding over the mantel. This chamber is lit by a single ogee-headed and two elliptical-headed windows with accompanying shot-holes. In the E wall of the NE embrasure there is a pointed doorway giving access to a small chamber lit by a single-light with square shot-holes on either side. A doorway in the S wall of the main chamber gives access to small garderobe chamber with a cruciform window and gun loop. The third floor rests on a timber floor carried on corbels in the E and W walls and has a barrel-vaulted roof. It is lit by flat-headed windows, one of which is blocked. Between the second and third floors there is a mural garderobe chamber entered from the spiral stairs. The chute is at the end of the chamber which is lit by a single-light and has two gun loops and a slop-stone. Just above third-floor level there is a pointed doorway giving access to a small wedge-shaped chamber supported on a wooden floor. It is lit by two single-lights, one with a slop-stone beneath the sill, and has a flat-vaulted roof with wicker centring. The fourth floor has a reconstructed joggle-jointed fireplace with chamfered surround in the S wall. It is lit by three two-light ogee-headed windows accompanied by gun loops. The NE window contains a doorway in the N embrasure giving access to a small chamber lit by a single-light and containing a trap-hole giving access to a secret chamber in the NE wall. The S embrasure also has a doorway - this gives access to the stairs to the attic and parapet and mural stairs in the E wall. There is a string course defining parapet level. It is drained by a series of spouts. Square chimneys on the S and W walls jut out onto the wall-walk. Machicolations occur at SE, SW, N and NE. Steps lead from the parapet to a platform behind the E gable. In the 1840s the lower part of the tower house was inhabited by 'a poor family' according to the OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 3, 95-6). Detail plans and section have been published (Craig 1982, 105).

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

Craig, M. 1982 The architecture of Ireland from the earliest times to 1880. Dublin. Eason and Son Ltd. London. Batsford.

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

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Tipperary collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840. Bray.