Clogrenan Castle

Sited at a former important crossing point of River Barrow. According to the OS Letters (1837-40, 128-9), ‘the castle ‘was built sometime in the 15th century by the Butlers, Earl of Ormond, and whose descendant, Richard Butler, during the Irish Rebellion, kept here a garrison for the King, which being on the point of being besieged by the Irish was relieved by James, 12th Earl of Ormond, and Duke; and whose son, Richard Butler, was in 1662 created Baron Butler of Clogrennan and afterwards Earl of Arran. The Castle came in subsequent periods into the possession of the Rochfort family, who built a house in the modern style, not far from the old mansion, which was suffered to decay, there being only at present two or three apartments tenantable, but which are pleasantly situated on the River, commanding an extensive view of the distant country’ (O’Flanagan ed. 1934, 34-5). There is a contemporary account of the attack on, and taking of, the castle by Sir Peter Carew in 1589 (Maclean 1857, 92-3). A sketch by Thomas Dinely (1680) shows a large house of four storeys with an attic level, three decorative gables at front, crenellated parapet at sides and two substantial chimney stacks and a lower building, at least four-bays long to the N. Another sketch drawn a century later (Grose 1791, vol. 2, 10-11, plate 79), c. 1790 shows a ruinous three or four storey square tower S of the gate and projecting forward of it. The lower portion, with a large window with grille in the E face, may still have been habitable as according to Grose (ibid.), the castle, ‘is now a beautiful and romantic ruin…covered with ivy, and part is fitted up for a porter’s lodge’. The upper portion has partially collapsed, only the battlemented W wall surviving to full height. There is another large window opening in the E face over the lower window and separated from it by a string-course, however, this level appears to be ruinous. Also visible on this sketch is another tower to the NW, obscured by vegetation but which was square in plan, surmounted by a circular battlemented turret. In 1806 work commenced on Clogrenan House, located 600m to the SW, and the former 'castle' was transformed into an entrance way to the demesne. Grose’s sketch appears to be fairly accurate, being similar to a photograph taken in 1870. It was described in some detail in 1911 as consisting of, ‘a main tower probably some 60ft. high on the south connected by a high screen wall (in which the pointed arch gateway occurs) with the northern angle. This angle is finished on top by a machicolated turret. The buildings are roofless and little more than a shell forming the entrance to the ground of the square modern house which stands about ¼ mile away up the avenue. The main tower abuts on the public road in an obstructive mannor at S.E. angle. …The walls are about 4 ft. [1.2m] thick, built of limestone plastered with mortar the cutstone being granite. There are traces of brick strings thus [a sketch shows a protruding string with hollow moulding]. Most of the opes have been built up, those not so treated being chiefly in front and having sharp pointed arches with traces of square Tudor label mouldings over; which appear to indicate that the present opes are not those originally formed. The cut stone details are poor, the window in Tower (marked [on plan] 13 ft. [c. 4m] up) has been filled in with early tracery as sketch. There is a similar ope over it but blank. The gateway is surmounted by a similar pointed arch with a very coarse bead all round. This gate is of open timber work the tympanum being filled in with gothic tracery in timber in a defective state. The jambs of the traceried window inside have been studded out with lath and plaster and an enriched pattern thus has been put round and the remains of a similar plaster fringe without the panel enrichment is to be seen on the adjoining walls. Serious cracks occur in the masonry, particularly in the high walls of the Tower that on north side of same extending nearly from top to bottom and the masonry at the top is very loose. The masonry is in bad condition and requires extensive repair to render it secure. The interior is ruinous there are large trees inside the premises and the roofless building may be described as a mere shell’ (OPW topographical files, 22 September 1911). The accompanying plan shows the two towers (S tower ext. dims. c. 7.9m N-S; c. 6.8m E-W; int. dims. c. 16.3m N-S; c. 5.5m E-W; N tower ext. dims. c. 6.8m N-S; c. 9m E-W; no wall thicknesses given) with a wall (L c. 11.4m), presumably a bawn wall, extending westward from the SW angle with only a short length (L c. 1.5m; T c. 1.2m) of the returning N-S wall surviving. Part of the castle collapsed in a storm in 1931 and having become unsafe was further demolished by the County Council (OPW topographical files; Fitzmaurice 1966, vol. 15, 18). The pointed gateway (Wth 3m; H c. 4.5m) with granite roll-moulded surround, which is likely to be contemporary with the house built in 1806, still survives within a roughly coursed limestone rubble wall which survives for a short length on either side (L 4m to S; 7m to N; wall T 1.42-1.5m; max. H c. 5.5m). The wall is surmounted by a projecting limestone string-course, which on a photograph taken in the 1950s (Anon. 1984-5, vol. 2, 11), had the remains of further walling on top, possibly battlemented. There is a base-batter (H 1.26m; Wth 0.3m) on the external N face which may be a remnant of the medieval castle. A moat may also have formed part of the castles defences. This appears on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map as an L-shaped ditch and on subsequent editions as a curving ditch (L c. 40m) running northward from the NW angle of the N tower and curving north-eastward towards the River Barrow, terminating in a bridge at the road. Preservation Order number: 3/1995. See attached photographs: CW007-033----_01 Exterior from E CW007-033----_02 Detail of roll-moulding N side of gateway CW007-033----_03 Interior from NW CW007-033----_04 Interior from NNW CW007-033----_05 Detail of soffit Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 3 December 2018 This monument is subject to a preservation order made under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 (PO no. 3/1995).

Clogrenan Castle was built in the 15th century by the Butlers, Earls of Ormond, and later held by their descendant, Richard Butler. It is remembered for its strategic location at a key crossing point of the River Barrow, which contributed to its historical importance in the region.