Castle (in Ruins) — Aghern West

Close to N bank of river Bride, 200M W of Aghern bridge; remains consist of two towers connected by later wall; attached on N side to Aghern house and coachyard, both of 19th century date. Tower to E is L-shaped: rectangular block (8.5m E-W; 6.8m N-S) with projection on W side of S wall (5.5m E-W;1.15m N-S). According to Waters (1916, 166) lived in until early 19th century, but about 1850 'a considerable portion was taken down, being considered unsafe' (ibid). It now stands to 1st/2nd floor level; top of walls overgrown but appear to be topped by shallow cornice; atop W wall short section of walling with pointed-arch ope, possibly once farmyard bellcote. Recent lean-to building abuts full width of N wall, connecting tower to house. Door, with bluntly-pointed arch, set in shallow (D 0.25m) rectangular frame, in S wall of projection; approached by two steps. Inside, short passage leads to spiral stairs, lit by slit windows in S and W walls; no through access to ground floor chamber which appears to have been entered by doorway at E end of N wall, now blocked. At 1st floor level short passage from stairs leads to lintelled door into main chamber (c. 3.8m N-S; 5.45m E-W). The wooden floor is gone; overhead covered by wicker-centered pointed vault (axis N-S). Lit by single window in E, S andW walls: splayed and lintelled embrasures with narrow rectangular lights. In external S wall, immediately on E side of ground floor door, gap in wall facing (Wth c. 1.5m, rising from ground to 1st floor level) where tower appears to have keyed into wall running S (see below). Second tower 15.5m to W; rectangular structure (11.3m E-W; 8.75m N-S) on slightly different alignment to E tower; and like it considerably reduced in size, now standing to 1st/2nd floor level. Exterior elevations almost completely masked by ivy and overgrowth; interior shows much alteration and is now derelict. Divided internally at ground floor level into two roughly equal-sized chambers by inserted N-S wall; each chamber roofed by pointed wicker-centred vault. Room to W has forge hearth and chimney stack in SE corner, behind is blocked door ope; probably remains of 'farm boiler-house' mentioned by Waters (1916, 166). Much of W wall broken with later wall built across gap. Chamber to E itself divided by inserted E-W wall; blocked ope in S wall; large segmental-arched ope in N wall, inserted feature, now itself blocked by later wall. Access to floor over vault not gained. Wall linking towers (L 15.5m) runs roughly from centre of W wall of E tower to centre of E wall of W tower; butt jointed to both towers. According to Waters (ibid) 'a modern curtain ... built where previously a wall some 16ft thick, in the substance of which were several chimney flues well sooted up'; no visible trace of this earlier wall but both towers have gaps in facing walls indicating its line. Present linking wall has door (4.75m from W tower) with pointed arch of late medieval appearance, presumably re-set. E tower of late medieval appearance. W tower, with inserted late medieval wicker-centred vaults, probably earlier; similar arrangement of inserted vaults and cross wall occur in Glanworth castle's 13th century keep (Waterman 1968, 72-3; see plan Manning 1987, 280). According to Lewis (1837, vol. 1, 18) built by Fitzgeralds to 'command the pass of the river,on which was an ancient ford' (he gives a date of 1389 for its construction); he describes it as 'of great strength, and was powerfully garrisoned by the Earl of Desmond against the forces of Elizabeth' (ibid); during the Munster Plantation it passed to Richard Boyle (Waters 1927, 56). Aghern house lies immediately N of E tower, at SE corner of square coachyard; described by Bence-Jones (1978, 3) as '2 storey late Georgian house'; front elevation faces E: 3-bay, 2-storey with hipped roof, door in central bow; occupied as residence for stud farm. 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