Castle (in ruins) — Fortane More

In rough pasture, on a limestone rock outcrop (Wth 14m; H 3.5m), in a generally low-lying and gently undulating landscape, overlooking Castle Lough and Maryfort Lough to W. There is a lot of limestone rock outcrop in the immediate vicinity, which appears to have been quarried in antiquity. The remains of a long rectangular building (CL027-036002-) lie 15m to the NW. The monument is depicted on all OS historic mapping and is named ‘Fortane Castle (in ruins)’ on the 1920 edition of the OS 6-inch map. According to Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997, attached), it was built by Rory MacNamara between 1440 and 1480 near the site of a battle which had taken place some 200 years earlier between Turlough O’Brien and Thomas De Clare. The castle was held by the MacNamaras until the settlements of the 1641 rebellion, when it was granted to the McGraths (ibid.). The McGraths appear to have held Fortane Castle until sometime after 1691, when it was forfeited. EXTERIOR Only the W wall of the tower house remains (L 14.3m; min. T 1.6m; max. T 2.2m) standing to three storeys high, along with a short return of the S wall (L 4.75m; T 1.1m) and a very short return (L 2.2m) of the N wall. There is no trace of the E wall. The facing-stones on the W elevation are largely missing at ground and first-floor level, albeit in situ at second and third-floor levels. These consist of roughly squared blocks of limestone of varying sizes. The surviving quoinstones are large hewn blocks of limestone which are roughly dressed, yet appear to be relatively small in proportion to the size of the structure. They are mostly gone at the SW and NW corners and only survive at second- and third-floor level. The W wall stands to three storeys and has two broken-out openings at ground level, at the N end and off-centre to N. The base of the garderobe chute is off-centre to S and it is broken out above, at first and second-floor levels, except a short portion just above second-floor level. There is a long, broken-out, flat window opening at first-floor level, at the N end. The remains of a window opening in the centre are broken out. The garderobe chute is broken out to the immediate S, and together with the missing window, forms one large breach in the centre of the W elevation. A second, long flat opening is broken out at the S end of the first-floor level. The second-floor level has a long broken-out window opening toward the N end. The remains of a second window opening are located in the centre and have a lintel and some jambstones in situ on the N side. The only surviving intact window opening in the whole structure is at third-floor level, at the S end of the W wall. It is a tall, plain, flat-headed loop with splayed jambstones. The remains of a possible broken slop-stone are located near the top of the surviving W wall, at the N end. This may indicate that a parapet level (now completely gone) was directly above. The short return of the S wall contains a narrow loop at ground-floor level which is partially choked by an accumulation of debris from the collapsed S wall. The remains of a possible opening forms part of the broken wall-end at first-floor level. The W side of a broken-out window embrasure is located at second-floor level. The type of plain, splayed jambstones would suggest that it is similar to the intact loop high up on the W elevation. A substantial block of intact masonry has fallen from the S wall. This is likely to be derived from the portion of the S wall which has fallen since it was recorded by Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997). Only the broken end of the N wall is evident at the NW corner and there are no features surviving in it. INTERIOR The ground-floor level is choked with a backfill of masonry derived from the collapsed walls. This completely obscures the S half of the W wall at this level. A small, partially blocked opening is evident at the N end of the W wall. It has a lintelled doorway (Wth 0.7m) which leads into a guardroom (2.05m N-S; 1m E-W; H 2.16m) which has a wall-niche (Wth 0.57m; H 0.62m; D 0.54m) in the S wall. A splayed window embrasure in the W wall contains a window opening (H 0.23m; D 0.64m; Wth int. 0.52m; Wth ext. 0.32m). The positioning of the guardroom at this location suggests that the main entrance was in the N wall, which is now completely missing. A lintelled window off-centre to N is blocked at base to half its height. This window sits in a wide embrasure with straight ingoings. Two large corbels are located at the N side of the embrasure and one at the S which seem to support the ceiling of the embrasure. The garderobe chute is off-centre to S. The broken remains of a vault (long-axis E-W) spring from the W wall, off-centre to N at ground-floor level indicating that part of the ground-floor level was vaulted. The first-floor level has the remains of a pointed wicker-centred vault over a room (Wth 3m N-S) in the SW corner. It has a window embrasure (Wth 1.8m) with partially broken out, splayed ingoings at the S end of the W wall. What appears to be some kind of chute or flue extends from above the window lintel, perhaps suggesting alterations. A broken wall end (L 1.1m; T 1.1m) making a right-angle turn adjacent to N would suggest this was a narrow vaulted chamber. A substantial breach off-centre to S of the W wall appears to have contained a garderobe chute (Wth 1.65m; D 0.75m) and a window embrasure (Wth 1.3m) of which the remains survive. A small wall-niche is located to the immediate N. The remains of a possible mural chamber are located in the NW corner. It has a tall window embrasure in the W wall which has a straight ingoing to S and is splayed to N. The ceiling has a pointed wicker-centred vault and the floor is largely broken out and uneven. A mural creepway (long-axis N-S) extends from the S side of this chamber. The second floor contains a narrow chamber in the SW corner with a pointed vault. It has an embrasure with splayed ingoings in the W wall. Corbels above, in the N and S wall may be associated with a timber roof structure. The remains of a box niche are in the N wall at the W end. The remains of a second chamber with pointed vault are off-centre to S. This contains a broken garderobe chute and the remains of a broken-out window embrasure of which only the gently curving N splay and lintel stones are in situ. A third similar vaulted chamber is off-centre to N in the W wall, lit by a broken-out window embrasure. Only the gently curving splay of the N side of embrasure is partially intact. Another curious chute extends into this wall gradually upwards and reaches a rectangular opening high up near third-floor level. This appears as a put-log hole on the exterior but it may have been some form of look-out. The remains of a springing vault for a window embrasure/ceiling in the return of the N wall are evident at the N end of the W wall. Only the relieving arch of a ground-floor window embrasure in the S wall is visible above the rubble backfill material that obscures most of the ground-floor level. The W side of a window embrasure with a splayed ingoing is evident at first-floor level. Only part of the lintel and sill are in situ and the rest forms part of a broken wall end. The remains of this embrasure and a short portion of the S wall were recorded in situ by Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997), however this seems to have since fallen along with a similar embrasure directly above, at second-floor level. The following items are uploaded: CL027-036----_01.pdf Details from Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, The Castles and Tower-houses of Co. Clare (unpublished report). Uploaded courtesy of R. Ua Cróinín and M. Breen. CL027-036----_01.jpg From SE. General view of monument. CL027-036----_02.jpg From ENE. General view of monument. CL027-036----_03.jpg From ENE. General view of interior and bawn. CL027-036----_04.jpg From S. Short return of S wall. CL027-036----_05.jpg From SE. Oblique view of short return of S wall. CL027-036----_06.jpg