Clarabricken Castle (in ruins)

On the brow of a W-facing slope, surrounded by farm buildings. The Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran depicts a castle in ‘Brickinclaragh’ townland, in the parish of Churchclara (Hibernia Regnum, courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). The castle is also depicted on the Down Survey (1655-6) parish map of 'Churchclaragh' and the accompanying terrier describes it as ‘on Brickinclaragh a ffaire Castle in repaire’ and Henry Archer is listed as the proprietor in 1640 (NLI MS720). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 357), ‘In 1659 it was occupied by a Cromwellian named Jacob Cornock. Richard Boyle paid 10s. hearth money for the house or castle of Bricken Claragh, in 1664. A considerable fragment of the castle still remains standing to a height of 30 ft. [c. 9m]. The walls are 5 ft. [1.5m] thick’. A very ruined rectangular tower house (ext. dims. 17.27m N-S x 11.6m E-W; wall T c. 1m), presently standing to first-floor level. Built of roughly coursed limestone rubble with some large quoins visible at the SW angle. Most of the N wall is upstanding, breached at its E end, and a very short length of the W end of the S wall, and the N end of the W wall (H c. 4m). The entrance doorway was apparently located at the N end of the N wall but neither this entrance, nor any windows survive in situ. There is a projection at the N end of the W wall which contains a garderobe chute. There is no indication of the location of the staircase. The interior is filled with collapsed masonry and debris. There is some loose cut-stone masonry in the farmyard, including a window fragment. There is a shed built up against the W wall. The dimensions of this castle suggest that this is not a typical tower house but, being more rectangular than square, it may be ‘a long, low stronghouse’ or fortified house (Salter 2004, 65). See attached image: KK020-016----_01 extract from Down Survey (1655-6) barony map of Gowran (Hib. Reg., courtesy of Trinity College Dublin). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 17 November 2020

Clarabricken Castle was likely built in the 15th or 16th century by an Irish Gaelic family, possibly the MacGeoghegans of the Ó Muiríocht lineage associated with the region. It is remembered as a medieval stronghold in the Barony of Gowran, reflecting the defensive and territorial significance of such structures during the late Gaelic period in Ireland.