Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

In flat terrain, but with a drop in ground level immediately W of the tower house down to the Glounfoul River which runs from S to N. The Lord of 'Kildonoke' is mentioned as suitor to the Earl of Ormond in 1508 (Curtis 1935, COD 3, 336). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) 'Upon the sd lands stands a little castle unroofed being wast without any improvemt. & out of the lyne & hath the accomodation of the River Ountearr runinge by them', with the proprietor in 1640 listed as 'John Prendergast of Kildonogy Gent. Irish Papist' (Simington 1931, vol.1, 338). The tower house is built of sandstone rubble, roughly coursed, with rounded quoins at the NW angle and a base-batter (H c.5m; Wth 0.5m). The SW angle appears to have been rebuilt. Only the W wall of the tower house (int. dims. L 4.9m; ext. dima. 9m; wall T 2m), two storeys high, the W end of the N wall(L 1.7m) and the inner face of the W end of the S wall (L 0.65m) survive. At ground-floor level there is a large, flat-headed, straight-sided embrasure in the W wall, with a corresponding outer splayed embrasure, containing a narrow, round-headed, single-light window. At first-floor level there is a flat-headed, straight-sided embrasure with corresponding outer splayed embrasure with a single-light, ogee-headed window. This window is chamfered externally and is decorated with vertical lines of pock tooling with drafted margins. A large crack at the S end of the W wall, at the SW angle, leaves the wall vunerable. The outer face of the N wall is missing up to a height of 3m. A farm building abutts the remaining part of the S wall at its surviving E end.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 25 November 2013

References

Curtis, E. (ed.) 1935 Calendar of Ormond Deeds 1413-1509 A.D. Vol. 3. Dublin. The Stationery Office.

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