Ballyclohy Castle (in ruins)

Situated on a plateau overlooking a SW-NE ravine. This tower house was owned by the John Butler in 1640 (Simington 1942, 102). This is a circular tower (diam. 8.8m) surviving almost to the wall-walk (H c. 10m) at W and S. Internally the chambers are rectangular and the entrance at N is destroyed. The ground floor (int. dims. 4.7m N-S; 4.3m E-W) has windows at E and W with two gun loops in each. A mural stairs at E lead to the first floor which has a window and musket loop at S, and an E-W barrel-vaulted loft overhead. From the stairs a mural passage with two musket loops leads to a garderobe in the wall at S. A newel stairs at E lead to the second floor which is inaccessible but has a fireplace at SW. The tower is on the S boundary of a grass-covered trapezoidal enclosure (dims. 53m NW-SE; 40m NE-SW at N; 66m NE-SW at S) defined by a slight scarp (max. H 0.5m) and traces of a fosse (Wth 4m). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 23 December 2008

Ballyclohy Castle was a 17th-century tower house built by the Butler family, a prominent Irish noble lineage, and was owned by John Butler in 1640. It is remembered as an example of early modern Irish defensive architecture and reflects the historical presence and influence of the Butlers in the region.