Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on high ground with extensive views, a nearby church (TN042-005----) to the SE and a ringfort (TN042-003----) to the NW. Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as a 'castle out of all repaire' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 43). Theobald Purcell of Loughmoe is listed as proprietor in 1640 (ibid.). The well-preserved remains of a large impressive tower house (ext. dims. 9.2m N-S; 12.7m E-W; wall T 3m) four storeys high built of coursed limestone rubble with base-batter and rounded corners. Access to the interior was not possible due to a locked gate at the main entrance. A two-centred doorway with rebated jambs in the centre of the E wall was protected by a machicolation at wall-walk level (now destroyed). A lobby protected by an overhead murder-hole gave access to the ground-floor barrel-vaulted chamber and the stairs in the SE angle from which all upper floors were accessed. Fenestration consists of flat and round-headed single lights with twin-light ogee-headed windows at the third storey. There is a destroyed machicolation at wall-walk level on the N wall and a garderobe chute outlet at the S end of the W wall. A circular enclosure around the castle described in the OS Letters is now only visible as a differential growth in vegetation and probably represents an earth and stone bawn (TN042-004001-) (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 184-5).

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

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.