Castle (in Ruins)

In level area on Little Island, now part of industrial estate but formerly in demesne of Little Island House. Small rectangular tower (6.1m N-S; 7.6m E-W), now standing to 4 storeys. Reconstructed ground floor door near W end of N wall, now partially fallen; segmental vault over door passage; elliptical arch-stone, lying on ground, probably from door surround. Lintelled door, at 1st floor level, in centre of S wall. At 2nd floor levelis another door, near E end of S wall, flanked by corbels on outside which must have supported fore-stairs. This doorway gives access straight through to 2nd floor chamber, and E to stairway which rises in E wall to central door into 3rd floor chamber. Ground floor lit by broken window in N wall, splayed internally; double-splayed window in W wall. First floor lit by similar windows in E and W wall; wide ope, broken externally, on N wall. Second floor lit by window in E wall, splayed from narrow flat-headed light; this floor covered by pointed, wicker-centered vault. N wall gone above vault; E, W, and S walls reduced to form gables for recent roof, now gone; wide central ope in S 'gable' of recent appearance. Though known as 'Wallingstown Castle', no apparent direct link with Wallyns or Waleys (later Walsh) family; castle was held for a time in 16th century by Fitzgeralds, though part of Barrymore estate (Coleman 1915, 62). Nearby Little Island House now reduced to mound of rubble; described as 'large late eighteenth-centuryhouse sometimes attributed to Davis Duckart', residence of Bury family (Glin et al. 1988, 52). See Excavations 2003, 77. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Built in the 17th century, likely by the Wallingstown branch of the Fitzgerald family, who held significant land in the area. The castle is remembered as a remnant of the historic demesne associated with Little Island House and reflects the regional influence of the Fitzgeralds during the early modern period.