Castle and Turret

Now standing at S end of Drishane House (see below); built directly on rock outcrop. Rectangular 5-storey tower with adjacent circular 2-storey tower. Structures were 'completely restored some time post 1879' (Bence-Jones 1988, 108), and again repaired in more recent times; repairs include battlements atop both structures, all wooden door and window frames, stone flagged floors, wooden floors over main ground- and 1st-floor chambers of rectangular tower, and slate roofs. Rectangular tower (8.8m E-W; 7.7m N-S), with slightly rounded corners; entered at ground-floor level through door near N end of E wall, door surround has been re-set. Short lobby inside has door on W side, with pointed arch, giving access to main ground-floor chamber, and similar door on S side, leading to mural stairs which rise to SE corner of tower, where they continue upwards as spiral, giving access to main 1st-, 2nd-and 4th-floor chambers, and to two mural garderobe chambers in E wall at 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th floor levels. Ground-floor chamber (4.85m E-W; 3.85m N-S) lit by windows in centre of S wall and at W end of N wall; both have square-set embrasures covered by segmental vaults. First-floor chamber (5.2m E-W; 3.9m N-S) entered via short L-shaped lintelled passage from spiral stairs; chamber lit by roughly-central windows in S, W and N walls; these have splayed and lintelled embrasures and single square-headed lights. Main second-floor chamber entered directly from spiral stairs, through door with pointed arch, in SE corner of room; lit by roughly-central windows in S, W and N walls, similar to those on 1st floor but with single ogee-headed lights. Third floor is attic under pointed wicker-centered vault (axis E-W); lit by single window in W wall; embrasure similar to those of floor below but with single flat-headed light; original entrance to this floor probably via manhole from floor below. Main fourth-floor chamber entered, via short passage from top of spiral stairs, through door on S side of deep window embrasure in centre of E wall; embrasure is square-set, covered by segmental vault, with double ogee-headed light; similar window embrasure in centre of S wall. Spandrels of latter window light are decorated with simple geometric design; light covered by hood moulding, with stepped terminals, which is flanked by two carved human heads. There are also windows in centre of N and W walls, similar to those on 2nd floor. Opposite entrance door, in N side of E window embrasure, is door leading to spiralstairs in NE corner of tower, which rise to wall-walk level. At 1st/2nd floor level lintelled door on N side of spiral stairs gives access to lintelled passage (4.7m N-S; 1.1m E-W) with garderobe at N end; lit by two slit windows in E wall. Second mural passage in E wall at 3rd/4th floor level; entered through door, with pointed arch, on N side of spiral stairs; lintelled passage (3.5m N-S; 0.9m E-W) leads to SE corner of tower where it turns at right angle to W (L 1.1m), at W end of latter section is garderobe opening; passage lit by single slit windows in E and S walls. Circular tower (int. diam. 2.9m; wall thickness c. 0.9m) just 0.9m S of SE corner of rectangular tower, and projecting 1.3m beyond its E wall; now free standing but originally linked to tower by straight wall. Entered on NW side through repaired ground-floor door; gun loop on E side of door, also gun loops facing S and W. Inserted window on SW side and inserted fireplace to SE. First floor has door ope to NNE, window ope to NE, traces of fireplace to E and splayed ope, possibly gun loop, to SE; modern roof overhead. Mac Carthy castle; built, according to tradition, in 1450 (Lee 1914,64), a date not inconsistent with present tower. Circular turret is later, probably added in late 16th/early 17th century to allow for flanking fireby defenders. Adjacent house built by Wallis family in 18th century but enlarged and castellated in mid-19th century (Bence-Jones, ibid.); later a convent school, now in private ownership. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 3: Mid Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

The Castle and Turret at Drishane More were likely built by the McCarthy family, lords of Muskerry, in the 16th or 17th century. The site is important as a rare surviving example of a tower house complex in West Cork, reflecting the defensive and social structures of Gaelic Ireland.