Carrigabrick Castle (in Ruins) — Carrigabrick

On cliff-top, overlooking Blackwater River to W. Five-storey circular tower (diam. 11.8m); almost one third of tower, on W side, has collapsed, including doorway and staircase (see plans in Cotter 1994, 77-80). Drawbar socket, at ground-floor level on N side of breach, indicates position of doorway; fragments of spiral staircase evident above this on broken wall face, probably beginning at 1st-floor level. Circular ground floor chamber (diam. 5.78m) has three surviving windows: all in wide splayed embrasures with wicker-centred vaults; all lights missing; W and S opes blocked. First-floor chamber entered from spiral stairs via doorway of which only N jamb survives; rectangular chamber roofed by wicker-centred vault (long axis E-W); lit by three windows, to NE, SE and SW, each with single ogee-headed light in square-set embrasure with wicker-centred vault; musket loops in NE embrasure on E side of light, in SE embrasure on each side of light and in SW embrasure on E side of light (W side of embrasure collapsed). Remainder of tower inaccessible above this level. Between 1st- and 2nd-floor levels, doorway of which only E jamb survives leads N from stairs to mural passage lit by two slit windows with slop stones underneath; passage probably gave access to garderobe; on the evidence of location of windows it appears that this passage was stepped down as it curved to N so that garderobe chamber is located under N window of 2nd-floor chamber Second-floor rectangular chamber entered from stairs; only N jamb of doorway survives; two surviving windows in N and E walls: embrasures similar to those on 1st floor; lintelled slit window to N, ogee-headed light to E. Third-floor rectangular chamber covered by vault (long axis E-W); one window survives, on E side, with single ogee-headed light; jambs and sill missing. Mural passage on N side, above 3rd floor level, lit by two windows from which lights are missing; passage probably gave access to garderobe. Rectangular chamber on 4th floor lit by two windows; lintelled window to N, wide damaged ope to E with sill of two-light window surviving. Stairs continued up to give access to wall walk. Three machicolations survive at wall-walk level, each located directly over a ground floor window. Twin garderobe chute exits through a damaged ope near ground level on NE side. Castle of the Condons, included in a grant of lands to Arthur Hyde in 1588 (Healy 1988, 388). Richard Condon of Carrigabrick, sheriff of Co. Cork, received a pardon in 1567 (Healy ibid.). According to Power (1932, 69), occupied site of earlier fortification, of which no trace survives. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009