Ballyteige Castle — Ballyteige North

In open, level pasture. A fairly well-preserved four-storied structure, which may originally have had an attic, is almost square in plan (int. dims. L 5.1m E-W; Wth 4.4m; av. wall T 1.2m) and has a barrel vault orientated N-S over first-floor level. It is built of uncoursed limestone rubble masonry with some dressed quoins but without a base batter. The building was inhabited up to the late 1970's and contains some modern alterations. The entrance doorway in the N wall is accessed through a later shed and has been raised in height and cased in timber (H 1.8m; Wth 0.97m). It gives immediately S into the ground floor chamber and there is a very narrow (Wth 0.67m) intramural stairs immediately inside the doorway to the right (W), which climbs up to the W. At ground-floor level the N wall contains a very large and deep fireplace (Wth 1.6m; D 1.12m) with a red brick arch, which may have been inserted into a small guard room flanking the entrance doorway. There is a centrally placed, broadly splaying embrasure in the E wall which contains a now blocked-up window. The S wall contains a straight-sided, brick-lined recess (probably an altered window ope) at its E end. It contains a blocked doorway which gave access to a later building abutting the S end of the tower house, which has since been demolished. First-floor level was accessed off the stairs through a plain, square-headed doorway, the top of which is cut into the barrel-vault above, at the S end of the N wall. The floor level was altered and is now marked by a line of opposing joist-holes in the E and W walls, as is the line of the third-floor level. First-floor level is lit by three, centrally placed loops in the N, E and S walls. Second-floor level is accessed through a similar doorway to the one below, located towards the S end of the W wall. This level is lit by loops in the E and W walls and the outline of the embrasure of a third loop is visible behind modern plaster in the S wall. The N wall contains a partially robbed, brick-lined fireplace at its E end and a large alcove (Wth 2.3m; D 1m; H 2.3m), the top of which is robbed, at its W end. A centrally placed doorway with brick surround gives access to an intramural stairs which climbs W and turns S into the W wall where a plain doorway gives access to the third-floor level. This level is lit by a by a centrally placed loop in the S wall and the outline of a centrally placed embrasure is visible behind later plaster in the E wall. Two small, opposing loops, high up in the E and W walls may originally have lit an attic. There is a small cast iron fireplace at the E end of the plastered N wall. The intramural stairs continues up to battlement level, access to which is now blocked. The crenelations have been reconstructed in heavily rendered brick. A post medieval inscribed stone (KD013-020002-) once lay outside the entrance doorway. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 10 June 2011