Bunavory Castle (in ruins)

In improved and recently de-scrubbed pasture, overlooking a short sharp slope to SSW. The monument is depicted and named on all OS historic mapping as ‘Bunavory Castle (in ruins)’. Salter (2004, 56) and Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997) indicate that it was the seat of the MacClancy’s who were brehons to the O’Briens of Thomond. It was held by Donough MacClancy in 1574 and by Sir Roland Delahoyde in 1641 who was married to a daughter of MacClancy of Inch Castle (Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997, 1-2). Bunavory was forfeited in the Cromwellian settlement and granted to Philip Bigoe (ibid., 2). The monument consists of a small rectangular structure (9.5m WNW-ESE; 7m NNE-SSW) defined by the poorly preserved remains of low, rubble limestone walls which are sod covered for the most part. The lower portions are degraded by cattle in places resulting in some loose tumble along the base of the walls. Very few facing-stones survive and the rubble core is exposed for the most part. The WNW wall (L 7m; min. H 1.2m (in centre); max. H 1.8m (at SSW end); T 0.7m) is the best preserved of all the four walls, having a squared facing-stone in the centre and other smaller squared facing-stones immediately adjacent. Most of the facing-stones are missing from the NNE wall (L 9.5m; min. H 0.75m; max. H 1.8m; T 1.0m), except at the base, where there are some long, squared blocks having mortar and possibly fragments of render on the exterior. It is degraded by cattle along the base. The ESE wall (L 7m; min. H 0.4m at SSW end; max. H 1.1m at NNE end) is covered in loose embanked material which is pushed up against it. The thickness of this wall is unclear due to collapse of rubble inwards. The NE basal quoinstone is missing and fresh soil is exposed. The remains of a base-batter are evident at the foot of this wall, at the NNE end. The SSW wall (L 9.5m; min. H 0.85m; max. H 1.8m; T 0.9m) is best preserved at the WNW end. A small gap (Wth c. 0.8m) at the NW end of the NNE wall allows access into the interior, which appears to be a single room. The interior floor level is much higher and more uneven than the external ground level suggesting that it has a backfill of earth-covered rubble. The interior is almost choked with vegetation consisting of numerous young thorns, a mature thorn and an ash tree. According to local information, stone from the castle was removed to build local roads and potentially Bunavory House and outbuildings c. 270m to NE. The following items have been uploaded: CL035-018----_01.pdf Details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report). Uploaded courtesy of R. Ua Cróinín and M. Breen. CL035-018----_01.jpg From WNW. General view of monument (if zoom in on this shot can see church on Tulla Hill). CL035-018----_02.jpg From SSW. Elevation of SSW wall at WNW end. CL035-018----_03.jpg From WNW. Close view of squared facing stone in centre of WNW elevation. CL035-018----_04.jpg From WNW. General view of WNW elevation. CL035-018----_05.jpg From SSW. General view of SSW elevation. CL035-018----_06.jpg From NNE. Cross sectional view of intact portion of base batter at NNE end of ESE elevation. Compiled by: Mary Tunney, Alison McQueen and Vera Rahilly Date of upload: 9 January 2019

Bunavory Castle was built by the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty in the 15th or 16th century and is remembered as a significant medieval stronghold in west Cork, reflecting the power and territorial divisions of the Gaelic aristocracy before the English plantation.