Castle Pook (in Ruins)

On limestone outcrop, with commanding view in all directions. Four-storey rectangular tower (14m E-W; 9.5m N-S); sod-covered foundations of bawn wall survive, enclosing roughly rectangular area (c. 45m E-W; c. 40m N-S) to E and S of tower (see plan in Cotter 1994, 55-9). Tower entered through ground-floor doorway (now entirely missing) near N end of E wall, giving access to lobby which in turn gave access straight through to main ground-floor chamber, N to guard-room (1.3m N-S; 1.14m E-W), and S to foot of mural stairs; stairs rise to SE corner, continuing upwards as spiral to wall-walk level; all steps broken. Damaged lintelled doorway leads into main ground-floor chamber (7.3m E-W; 4.9m N-S); chamber lit by double-splayed slit window in centre of W wall, and window near W end of S wall of which only W ingoing survives (wide breach in wall here). Lintelled doorway leads from straight stairs to main 1st-floor chamber; lit by central window in N wall with splayed and lintelled embrasure, window at W end of S wall with square-set embrasure covered by wicker-centred vault. Lintelled doorway at N end of E wall leads to mural chamber over entrance lobby; most of floor missing, may have had murder-hole. Chamber roofed with overlapping slabs, lit by slit light in E wall. At 2nd-floor level, lintelled door leads N from stairs into mural chamber (c. 5.4m N-S; 1m E-W). Chamber lit by slit window in E wall; traces of ingoings of angle-loop survive in collapsed NE corner; garderobe at N end. Pointed-arch door at S end of W wall of chamber leads into main 2nd-floor chamber. Latter lit by windows with square-set embrasures covered by wicker-centred, segmental vaults in N and W walls, each with single ogee-headed light; similar embrasure in S wall has narrow light, obscured by ivy on outside; angle-loop in NW corner. At 3rd-floor level door with 3-centred arch leads to mural chamber in E wall. Chamber roofed by pointed wicker-centred vault (long axis N-S); damaged windows in E and N walls; garderobe at N end. Main 3rd-floor chamber is attic under bluntly pointed wicker-centred vault (long axis E-W); lit by slit window, with pointed-arch light, in W wall; access was from chamber below, probably by wooden stairs. At 4th-floor level, door with 3-centred arch leads W from stairs, possibly to mural chamber in S wall. Only fragments of walling survive above this. Tower house of the Synan family, forfeited in 1639 and granted to St Leger (Grove White 1905-25, vol. 2, 121). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Built by the Butler family in the 15th century, Castle Pook is remembered for its strategic position and as a key defensive structure in the medieval landscape of the region.