Inch Castle — Inch

On level ground towards the SW end of an extensive farmyard. According to Killanin and Duignan (1967, 78), the castle was built by the De Vesci family in the 13th-century, and was enlarged by the 6th Earl of Kildare in 1420. However, no visible surface trace of a 13th-century structure survives. The Ballad of Oonah More is associated with the castle (Fitzsymons 1906, 101-6). The very poorly preserved NW-half of a three-storied rectangular structure survives (8.5m NE-SW; traceable 3.9m NW-SW) and comprises the full NW sidewall together with short lengths of the NE (L 3.9m) and SW (L 2.7m) gable walls: the SE end of the castle is levelled, with a lot of collapsed stone lying inside the surviving remains. According to Fitzgerald (1896-9, 158), ‘… during the wet season at the commencement of this year [1896], the eastern corner of Inch Castle … collapsed, destroying the original entrance, with its internal “murder-hole”, a large portion of the staircase built in the thickness of the wall, besides the chambers overhead.’ The SE-half of the castle collapsed in 1984 (SMR file). The upstanding walls (av. T 1.5m) are built of rubble masonry and are not battered. At ground floor-level, the surviving portion of the NE wall contains an intra-mural stairs with a small chamber underneath. The NW wall contains a wide fireplace arch and the end of the SW wall contains the side of an embrasure. Joist holes in the NW wall indicate first floor-level which has a spiral stairs in the N angle, a garderobe chamber with a loop in the W angle and a single light window in the NW wall and a partially robbed out bartizan on the W-angle. A vault springs from the NW wall to roof this level. A similar floor-plan is repeated above, at second floor-level. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 6 January 2014