Indicated — Garruragh

In pasture, on a low rise, in an undulating landscape with good views to W and reasonable views to N and S. Named ‘Garruragh Castle’ on the 1921 OS 6-inch map. A 2/3 storey rectangular tower house (max. ext. dims. 11.2m N-S; 7.5m E-W) of roughly squared and coursed limestone, having a base-batter (Wth 0.25m; H 2.75m). Ua Cróinín and Breen (1997) indicate that the castle was built c. 1440-1480 by Donnchad MacNamara and it remained in the family until 1641 when it was granted to Philip Bigoe. According to Salter (2004, 37) the structure was in use as a fever hospital in the 1840s. This is probably due to its proximity to Tulla Union Workhouse, which is c. 640m to SW. All of the external walls are extensively ivy covered. The S wall (T 0.82m) stands to second-floor level. It was modified as a gable in the 19th century as was the N wall. The entrance is in the centre of the S wall having a pointed cut-stone arch with a rebate. The external surround is punch dressed and both it and the rebate are chamfered. A yett-hole (diam. 9cm; D 0.84m) is located on the W side of the door surround. A narrow loop (Wth 0.1m; H 0.58m) is located to E of the doorway and lights the guardroom. There are two tall, narrow pointed loops off-centre to E, one directly above the other and lighting the first and second-floor level. Two tall, narrower loops at the W end, light the spiral staircase at first and second-floor level. The SW corner is rounded at ground-floor level to facilitate the spiral staircase within. A wall adjoining the SE corner appears to enclose part of a walled garden. The W wall (T 1.7m) stands to first-floor level only. A later ground-floor breach (Wth 2.23m) off-centre to N has straight ingoings and may be a modified embrasure. A blocked loop is evident at ground-floor level, S end (lighting staircase) and above at first-floor level is a tall, narrow loop also lighting the staircase. A later (probably 19th century) single-storey structure adjoins the N wall and the base-batter has been plastered with a scratch coat from ground to ceiling. There is also evidence of plaster at first-floor level, which may indicate an attic level. Masonry is missing from the base of the wall at the E end. A plinth/foundation stone projects slightly from the NE corner. There is a blocked opening off-centre to S at ground-floor level in the E wall. A first-floor loop is just about visible through the ivy at the S end. The wall top appears to have been consolidated at first floor with a level eaves course of squared, flat flags. A very tall chimney flue is located off-centre to N and S, extending from the top of the eaves course. A lot of rubble has been built up at the base of this wall, potentially derived from a former building to E of the castle (as per OS 6-inch and 25-inch maps). Entry through the S entrance doorway (Wth 1.15m; H 2.16m) leads into a rectangular lobby (1.9m N-S; 1.38m E-W) which has a murder-hole above. There is an intact cut and dressed hanging-eye inside the main doorway, on the E side. A large drawbar-socket is located either side of the doorway, with the W socket (Wth 0.16m; H 0.18m; L 1.76m) being deeply recessed. A second, smaller socket below on the W side has no corresponding socket on the E side. A projecting stone immediately below the lower socket may suggest an added security measure. The entrance lobby has three exits to W, N and E, each with a pointed doorway mimicking the main entrance and having a cut and chamfered surround of punch-dressed stone. All threshold stones are in situ and three out of a possible six arrises on the basal jambstones survive. A lower and narrower doorway (Wth 0.68m; H 1.84m) at E leads into a small, rectangular guardroom (2.33m N-S; 1.33m E-W) with a wicker-centred vault. The doorway is recessed (Wth 0.85m) on the interior and there is an intact cut and dressed hanging-eye at the S side. A window embrasure with splayed ingoings is located roughly centrally in the S wall. It has a flat head and a stepped base leading to a narrow, rectangular loop. A spudstone and hanging-eye are located on the E window surround and a small drawbar-socket is located midway on the W side. A wide and tall doorway (Wth 1.15m; H 2.12m) to the N side of the entrance lobby leads into the main ground-floor room of the castle. It has been subdivided by a later wall (long axis E-W) which extends (L 4.3m; H 2.25m) the full width of the room and closes off a narrow rectangular area (4.3m E-W; 1.4m N-S) which is accessible from the S only. There is evidence of a blocked doorway in the centre of this later dividing wall. This subdivision is likely later and contemporary with use of the building as a house and later fever hospital. A partially blocked, flat-headed opening is evident in the E wall with a flat relieving arch. Above this is a wide shaft which narrows at the top to a small, squared opening and is probably the garderobe chute. It is likely that the exit for the chute was blocked and the shaft laterally used as a flue. The greater portion of the main ground-floor area (4.18m N-S; 4.4m E-W) can now only be accessed via a later breach (Wth 2.23m) in the W wall which has straight ingoings (D 1.7m). This appears to have been a former window with a wide embrasure and a pointed head. A similar embrasure (Wth 2.9m) is located in the opposite wall to E, although it has been greatly modified during later conversion of this building to a house. The embrasure in the E wall has been widened and the base has been removed, possibly to serve as a ground-floor fireplace. Most of the pointed relieving arch is in situ although it has been modified. This window opening had a flat head and has been blocked. Above the soffit of the embrasure, the stone fabric of the wall has been quarried out to join the flue which already existed at first-floor level. Therefore the flue is rough initially where quarried out and smooth along the upper reaches where contemporary with the structure. An intact window embrasure (Wth 2.3m; D 0.78m) is in the N wall and is wide and tall, having straight ingoings and an intact pointed relieving arch. The window ope is blocked, although it appears to have been quite wide and flat-headed. There is no vault over the ground floor. A wide doorway (Wth 1.02m; H 2m) to W off the entrance lobby leads into the spiral staircase (Wth 1.1m) which turns clockwise to first-floor level. A blocked loop is evident in the W wall, just above ground-floor level. A tall, narrow loop is evident lighting the staircase in the S wall at first-floor level. A round-headed cut stone doorway leads off the broken portion of the spiral staircase to N and would have allowed access to the main first-floor room. The main first-floor room is not accessible, however the walls can be seen from the main ground-floor room as the vault over is missing. There are two steps down into the main first-floor room from the entrance doorway in the S wall. A squared window embrasure with straight ingoings is located in the centre of the W wall. It contains the lower portion of a single light which has been truncated when the wall-tops were consolidated to take a timber roof structure. A small wall-niche is located at the N end. The N wall has a large central window embrasure with a sharp sloping base, straight ingoings and a pointed head. The top of the window has an arrangement of bricks and square spaces much like an aviary and may have been a modification for a later opening or for ventilation. There is a scar of a fireplace off-centre to N in the E wall. The jambstones are missing although the remains of a cut limestone mantel project from the wall. This has writing carved in relief and a wagon wheel motif to the immediate S with the remainder being decorated with intermittent bands of vertical tooling. The original fireplace has been blocked up and a later, much smaller fireplace inserted with a depressed/flat arch. This too has been partially blocked up a