What is recorded here

Cappa Castle stands as a four-storey ruin on a northern slope, its gun loops and robbed quoins marking a sixteenth-century tower house built for defense rather than display. The Civil Survey of 1654 found only walls and a little barbicon remaining, suggesting the fighting structure had already surrendered much of its life to decay. What is left is a skeleton of chambers, collapsed stairs and empty window spaces, still holding the shape of a home that once watched the flat pastureland below.

Situated on a N-facing slope, with rock outcrop, in relatively flat pastureland. A moated site (TN021-024002-) is located c. 160m to the W. Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as a 'castle all ruined ye walls onely standinge with a little barbicon' (Simington 1934, vol. 2, 222). The land at Borris is divided between several landowners including 'Mathew Meara of Cappagh gent[,]Sir Jon. Magrath of Allevollane in ye Barny of ClanWm. Knight[,]Donogh Meara of Knockaneglash Gent. Irish Papists' (ibid.). A rectangular, four-storey building (ext. dims. 6.2m N-S; 7.5m E-W; wall T 1.2m) of roughly coursed rubble limestone with base-batter (H 2m); all quoins have been robbed. The entrance at ground-floor level in the E wall has been broken out, and the spiral stairs in the SE angle have collapsed above first-floor level. The ground-floor barrel vault, orientated on an E-W axis, has collapsed at the E end. The other main chambers were carried on timber floors. A recess in the NE angle extends from the ground floor up to second-floor level. The first floor has two gun loops on either side of a broken-out window in the W wall, an angle loop in the NW angle and a broken-out window in the N wall. There is a garderobe chamber at first-floor level in the S wall - the chute exits 0.7m above external ground level. The second floor has a niche in the S wall containing two blocked-up gun loops. There are windows in the W and N walls and a large fireplace in the E wall with missing surrounds. Two small chambers, one on top of the other, occupy the E end of the second floor. The upper chamber is roofed with a barrel vault. The third and fourth floors contain cupboards and window features, with gun-niches visible at latter level. There are the remains of a gable above the fourth floor on the W wall. All surviving windows are flat-headed, single or two-light. The shadow of a gable in the external E wall indicates a former adjoining building. The presence of gun loops and diagnostic tooling on the stonework suggest a sixteenth-century date for this tower house. 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

Cappa Castle was likely built in the 15th or 16th century by a local Gaelic lord or noble family of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty, who controlled much of West Cork during this period. It is remembered as a strategic stronghold in the region, though its ruins now reflect the impact of conflict and neglect during the 17th century.

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