Castle

Immediately W of the medieval church (KK009-048001-) on the E side of a graveyard (KK009-048003-), on the brow of a gentle E-facing slope. There are fine views from NNW-E-SE. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 323-5) the parish church, 'dedicated to St. Catherine, Virgin and Martyr, (Nov. 25th), was thrown down about 1700, and a Protestant church erected, at the same time, on its foundations'. The residential tower or 'ancient presbytery' as Carrigan (ibid.) refers to it, was attached to the W end of the medieval church and it was retained when the church was largely taken down. A late 17th/18th-century undivided church was built onto the E wall of the residential tower. The tower is constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble (wall T 1.5m), with well-cut quoins at the NW and SW angles. Most of the W wall has collapsed and the tower only survives up to first-floor level. The residential tower was accessed from the church via a doorway at ground-floor level at the S end of the E wall of the tower. The entrance was defended by a murder-hole in the thickness of the wall above. There is a commodious wall-cupboard (H 1.95m; D 1.1m, Wth 1.3m) in the E wall, accessed via a flat-headed opening (H 1.2m; Wth 0.67m) c. 0.9m above floor level. A spiral staircase (Wth 0.84m) rises in the SE angle to first-floor level and is lit by two loops. The ground floor consists of two vaulted chambers, connected by a pointed doorway (H 1.85m, Wth 0.9m) in the dividing wall (T 1.4m). The S chamber (int. dims. 3.8m E-W; 2.5m N-S) is lit by a flat-headed single-light window in S wall and has a pointed vault with remains of wicker-centring. Beneath the vault there was a loft, lit by a loop in the S wall. Two massive corbels project out from the W end of the N and S walls of the chamber. The N chamber (int. dims. 4.4m E-W; 2.6m N-S) is in poor condition, its pointed vault having collapsed in places. It is featureless apart from a series of joist-holes in the E wall suggesting that there was a loft just beneath the vault. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 6 February 2018

Rathbeagh Castle was held by the O'Moore family in the medieval period and is significant for its strategic location offering fine views across the landscape, which would have been crucial for defense and surveillance.