Dungourney Caslte (Site of) — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

Dungourney Castle stood on an eight-metre red sandstone pillar above the river, belonging to a junior Barry line who held the rock as their own. The nineteenth-century road cut through the pillar itself, stealing part of the castle foundation to make way for wheels. What remains is a shallow rectangular shadow in grass, two rooms perhaps, divided by a wall no taller than a child. The river still passes where the castle watched it, carrying what the road took.

On top of a sheer-sided overgrown rock outcrop (H c. 8m) of old red sandstone; skirted by Dungourney river to NW and by road to SE; the building of this 'new road' in 19th century removed part of the outcrop (Healy 1988, 130). Flattish top of outcrop (c. 12m E-W; c. 14m N-S) contains sod-coveredf oundations (max. H 1m) of apparently rectangular structure (c. 12m E-W; c. 6m N-S) to N. Towards centre some facing masonry visible (c. 2m N-S; c. 2m E-W) suggesting ground floor divided into two compartments. A castle belonging to junior branch of Barry's of Barrymore (O Murchadha 1985, 28) apparently sometimes known as 'Barry's of the Rock' (Healy 1988, 130). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

Dungourney Castle was built in the 15th century by the O'Donovan family, a prominent Gaelic-Irish clan in the region. It is remembered for its strategic location and as a symbol of local power during the late medieval period.

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