Castle (in Ruins) — Castlemartyr (imokilly By., Ballyoughtera Par.)

On W side of Castlemartyr; large sub-rectangular bawn (c. 65m NW-SE; c. 50m SW-NE), now functioning as farmyard with 18th, 19th and 20th-century farm buildings. At SE corner 5-storey tower house standing to full height. At NE corner 3-storey gabled tower (CO077-005004-). Along S wall of bawn, remains of large 17th-century range (CO077-005002-). Tower house (13m N-S; 9.5m E-W) entered at ground and 1st floor level by central doors in N wall. Rectangular fore-building (6.5m N-S; 5.5m E-W) gives access to both doors; entered by door with pointed arch in W wall; stairway on inside face of N wall gave access to wooden floor (now gone) above, from which main 1st floor door approached. Main ground floor door has pointed arch with foliate stop chamfer. Rounded, wicker-centred vault (axis N-S) covers chamber inside, lit by double-splayed lintelled windows in centre of E, S and W wall. Main 1st floor door also has pointed arch, with fleur-de-lis stop chamfer, blocked by recent wooden door; gun loops flank each side of door. First floor chamber lit by central windows in W, S and E wall, each with stone seats; E and W windows have narrow vertical lights with ogee-heads. At N end of E wall second window with flat-headed light; on N side of embrasure small garderobe chamber with gun loops in N wall. Straight flight of stairs leads up from W side of 1st floor doorway (2nd gun-loop at base of stairs) to NW corner where it rises as spiral staircase to 3rd floor level. Door from stairs, now blocked, gives access to main 2nd floor chamber under bluntly-pointed vault (axis N-S); central windows in N and S walls with single ogee-headed lights. Third floor chamber entered at NW corner from stairs; tall window embrasures in centre of N, E and S wall; window in E wall almost entirely gone. S window has broken window seat and two ogee-heads, otherwise broken. N window has segmental vault over embrasure, light divided by mullion and transom with two cusped ogee-heads; mullion and transom rebated on inside to house shutters. Fireplace in centre of W wall, only jambstone on N side survives. From W side of window in N wall, stairs rise to NW corner, continuing as spiral stairs to wall walk level, also giving access to main 4th floor chamber and mural garderobe chamber in N wall, at same level. E wall entirely fallen at 4th floor level; window in S wall has square light divided by two mullions and a transom (all now gone), with hood moulding. Top of stairs gives access to wall walk atop N and W wall; latter now blocked by chimney stack. Fragments of original stepped battlements survive atop N and W wall. Shallow pointed arch brings top of S wall inward to support S gable (now fallen) and wall walk. Gabled, 3-storey tower (CO077-005004-) at NE corner of bawn has pointed wicker-centred vault over 1st floor. Interior strewn with rubbish and ground level now higher than when tower built; tower also heavily modified and repaired. At ground level, door at W end of N wall, possible door in S wall opposite, both now blocked. Window opes in centre of E and W walls and at E ends of N and S wall; all blocked and modified. Judging by inserted flue overhead, fireplace set in ground floor window in W wall - much of this wall now fallen. Small much-ruined chamber in NE corner. First floor has window opes in centre of W wall (almost entirely fallen) and near E end of S wall, with flat-headed light. Second floor now entered by stairway built against S wall; originally by manhole at SE corner of vault, now blocked. Inserted fireplace in centre of W wall; just to N, door into mural passage with stairway rising to NW corner and wall walk. Central window in E wall with flat-headed light; on N side of embrasure narrow garderobe chamber. Square chimney stacks atop both gables. Immediately W of tower house, large rectangular two-storey building (47.6m E-W; 12m N-S) (CO077-005002-), 17th-century in appearance, of which only S and W walls survive - these forming part of bawn enclosure. Interior now covered by concrete floor; large modern hay-barn covers most of area; nearby all opes blocked up. West wall rises above gable line to a square-topped facade; wall walk on top reached by stairs in polygonal turret at S end; crenellations atop this and along rest of W bawn wall of recent appearance. Most conspicuous features of S wall are three massive rectangular chimney stacks atop subsidiary gables. Number of badly damaged large fireplaces at ground level inside, flanked by remains of domed bread-ovens. Near W end are two blocked windows with mullion and transome divisions in square frame, with hood mouldings. Bawn wall intact except at NW corner where it appears to be absent. Both N (L c. 30m) and S (see above) runs are straight; at W side it runs out at angle to W (L c. 40m) from N end of W wall of S range. Along here is blocked door with pointed arch, over which is a horizontal stone set inwall with a human head carved in false relief. E run of wall runs from S wall of NE tower, swinging out to SE until it returns W and then S again in two right angles, to meet N wall tower house. Farmyard now entered through rounded archway of 19th-century appearance in N wall; castellations atop this wall are similar in date. Castlemartyr Castle was seat of the Seneschals of Imokilly, a branch of the Fitzgerald family; attacked and taken by Sir Henry Sidney in 1569 and 1575; came into possession of Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork, in 17th century; castle restored and lived in by his son the Earl of Orrery, who died in 1679 (Monahan 1980, 7). House (CO077-00501-) built immediately to W in early 18th century by Earls of Shannon, at this stage bawn transformed into coach/farm yard. 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