Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in pasture, in the SE angle formed by the junction of four field boundaries. Described in the terrier of the 1657 Down Survey map of Enniscoffy parish map as ‘upon Symonstowne stands a castle’ (NLI, MS 723-4). In 1641 the castle stood on lands belonging to Walter Tyrell who is listed as an 'Irish papist' and owner of the adjoining townland of Stonestowne (ibid.). Depicted on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map as a rectangular-shaped building annotated ‘Simonstown Castle (in Ruins)’ within a large rectangular-shaped bawn (WM026-089001-).
Simonstown Castle described in 1978 as a two storey high rectangular-shaped building with its long axis aligned E-W, with the N and E wall being the highest (approx. max. H 12m). The masonry is of roughly hewn limestone blocks with dressed quoins. There is a possible turret on the NW corner which is not clearly visible due to being obscured by a dense cover of ivy. The N wall (L 15m) has a base batter approximately half way up its surviving height. An exposed garderobe chute is visible in the NE corner. A small rectangular window opening is visible at its E end. The E wall (T 2.3m) has three small, rough loops at different positions which appear to light a mural staircase which survives to first floor level. There is also an opening with a pointed arch high up in the E wall. The S wall contains the main doorway at the E end and a plain rectangular window opening with an internal splay. The W wall (L 8m; T 1.4m) has a modern gap with an arched window overhead. In the NE corner of the ground floor level is a chimney. There is a wicker-centred barrel vault over the ground floor which is well preserved except at the E end. The wicker centring remains on the ground floor walls and in the door opening. The first floor above has a growth of small trees and there is a significant amount of ivy on the walls. This castle probably dates to the 15th or 16th century. There are the ruins of two 19th century buildings; one just outside the castle at S, within the bawn and the second is just outside the bawn at NE is said to be a herdsman’s house of the former estate (local information).
Castle described by Salter (2004, 155) as following; 'A battered base has been added to the SW wall of a building originally measuring 14m by 7.6m. A stair in the NW end wall leads from the vaulted basement to just one upper storey, possibly subdivided into two rooms and having a latrine in the west corner'.

Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.

Date of upload: 04 November 2019

References

Salter, M. 2004 The castles of Leinster. Worcestershire. Folly Publications.

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.