Castle (in Ruins) — Coppingerstown

In farmyard; fragmentary remains of small tower house standing to 4 storeys with conjoined rectangular structure to N standing to 1 storey. At ground level walls survive for 7.65m on W side and for 5.7m on S side; only lower courses of N wall survive; E wall entirely fallen. Surviving walls narrow as they rise; at upper levels only short returns of S and W walls remain. Interior ground floor area occupied by lean-to hen house. Projecting corbels supported 1st floor; window ope in W wall obscured by ivy; window ope in S wall, with slit light, entirely missing E side. Fragmentary remains of vault (axis E-W) in SW corner between 1st and 2nd floor levels. Intact lintelled window embrasure with slit light in S wall at 2nd floor level. At 3rd floor level window opes in W and S walls with window seats; only one side of each embrasure survives. At ground level in external W face, opening for garderobe chute. Structure to N (8.7m N-S; surviving for 6m E-W) also entirely missing E wall; projects 4.5m at right angle to W wall of tower. Junction with tower obscured by collapse; base of mural stairs visible at broken E end of Swall; short curve leads into straight stairs rising to W. Double-splayed window opes in W and S walls, blocked ope in N wall. Along inner W face, springing courses, probably of vault, survive; Coleman (1913, 109) describes this structure as 'a low covered-in building adjacent, stone-roofed'. Wall thickness of tower at ground level is 2.35m whereas that of structure to N is just 1.2m. Little is known of the site's history; it was already ruinous and reduced in height when depicted by Grose (Stalley 1991, 40) in early 19th century. Coleman (ibid., 108-9) connects it with both Coppinger and Cotter families but considers that 'this castle may have been originally a Geraldine foundation'; known as 'Coppingerstown Castle'. 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