What is recorded here

Half a metre of ancient wall still stands behind Rathcoursey House, perhaps the last ribbon of a castle bawn swallowed by farms and forgetfulness. Whether knights ever marched that square or only tenants stored their grain, the stone has watched both lives without complaint.

According to Healy (1988, 148), a castle was located on or close to Rathcoursey House (CO076-039---) where a 'square of buildings surrounded by walls' to the rear of the house 'may be the remains of a bawn'. The N-S wall at the rear (E) of Rathcoursey House is 0.56m thick. It has a set of niches built into its E face but these appear to be contemporary with the 18th-century house. The farm buildings to the NE of the house are set in a square; these are not all shown on the 1842 OS 6-inch map. They appear to be a mixture of 18th- and 19th-century in date. Some of the farm buildings shown to the N of the house, on the 1842 OS 6-inch map no longer survive. No features that may be part of a bawn were noted. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 5' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2009). Date of upload: 22 December 2009

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