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Cloncoskoran Castle (in ruins)

Castle, tower house
Cloncoskoran Castle (in ruins)
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What is recorded here

Cloncoskoran Castle stands as a ruined tower house at the bottom of a gentle south-facing slope in County Waterford, Ireland. Built by the Shanahan family and later owned by Richard Nugent and his descendants until the eighteenth century, the structure now reveals only fragments of its former strength. The surviving north wall and partial west and south walls enclose a narrow space where a round-headed embrasure still cuts through the stone, hinting at the defensive purpose that once defined the place.
Located at the bottom of a gentle S-facing slope. Thought to have been built by the Shanahan family, this tower house was owned by Richard Nugent in the 1640s (Simington 1942, 36) and his descendants, the Nugent-Humble family, continued to own it until the 18th century. Only the N wall and parts of the W and S walls survive (ext. dims. 9.5m E-W; c. 5m N-S); the S wall has an external buttress. The original entrance is not evident but the ground floor has one round-headed embrasure (Wth 1.1m; H 1.56m) with a light (Wth 8cm; H 0.55m) in the N wall. The stairs do not survive at ground level, but the first floor under the E-W barrel vault has a small light in the W wall and a destroyed window with the remains of seats in the N wall. There were two upper storeys but no features can be discerned, apart from the remains of a newel stairs at the SW angle leading to the third floor, the W wall of which is partly preserved. Simington, R. C. (ed.) (1942) The Civil Survey AD 1654-1656, vi, the County of Waterford. Irish Manuscripts Commission. Dublin. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Compiled by: Michael Moore. Date of upload: 25th August, 2011.
Cloncoskoran Castle was originally built by the Shanahan family and later owned by Richard Nugent in the 1640s, with subsequent ownership by his descendants, the Nugent-Humble family. It is remembered as a historic tower house associated with prominent local families in the 17th century.

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