Bealagrellagh Castle (in ruins) — Bealagrellagh

Bealagrellagh (Béal Átha Greallach/ mouth of the ford of the puddle/mire) Castle stands in the parish of Ballymacelligott, barony of Trughanacmy on the border with the parish Ballyseedy 230m to W and townland boundary with Doonimlaghbeg immediately to E. On partially reclaimed grassland with poorly drained lands to NE, E, S and W, castle stood in close proximity to a fording point from which the townland was named. Site of McElligott's Castle (KE039-001----) in the townland of Arabela lies 1.6km to the NE, Ballycarty Castle (KE038-043--) site 1.8km to the NW. In 1841 the Ordnance Survey recorded the following about Ballymacelligott; ‘Bally Mac Elligot distant to the east from Tralee about three miles has in it the ruins of some considerable castles [KE039-001----/KE030-016----], but it is chiefly remarkable for its name, which it takes from the MacElligots, a potent family in these parts descended from the MacClowds of the Isle of Skith in Scotland. They came into Ireland with Galfridus de Marisco, Justice of Ireland, and had formerly great possessions in this country’ (O’Donovan 1983, 64). MacElligott castle ruins described in 1841 as follows; ‘In the south-east corner of the townland of Ballygrellagh (Béal Atha Greallách) stands the ruin of an old castle said to have been built by the MacElligots. The name signifies Mouth of the Miry Ford, which is truly descriptive of the locality. The castle measures on the inside twenty-two feet seven inches [6.9m] in length from north to south and thirteen feet ten inches [4.2m] from east to west and its walls are seven feet thick [2.1m] at the base and well grouted. All its features are disfigured except two narrow windows or spikes on the east side; these are of cut limestone, and one of them is pointed and the other angular at the top. The third floor rested on a stone arch which is nearly destroyed. The doorway is on the west side; it is rudely formed and measures as it now stands seven feet [2.1m] in height and four feet [1.2m] in width’ (Ibid., 64). In 1871 Rev. J. Brosnan, P.P. of Brosna described this castle as; 'situated five miles from Tralee, on the railway side, is yet a substantial two storied square block of walls : the upper floor whole, and overgrown with luxuriant grass ; the basement story affording beasts agreeable shelter from the heats and colds' (Cusack 1871, 390). Only the N half of Bealagrellagh Castle (approx. ext. dims. 11.1m N-S x 7.4m E-W; Wall T 1.5-2.1m; int. dims. 6.9m N-S x 4.2m E-W) remains upstanding. The S half of the castle was pulled down between 1924-5 when the castle was used as a source of stone for local road building. The base batter has been robbed out as well as the corner stones of the castle. The N wall (H c. 4m; T 2.1m) is the only wall which survives for its full length and has a broken out window in the centre which has is now missing its cut stone surround. This window was set into a wide embrasure (Wth 1.72m) with segmental rear-arch the underside of which has evidence for wicker-centring with nib holes visible at springing level of the arch. A wooden beam hole (dims. c. H 0.25m x Wth 0.36m x D 0.35m) is visible in the NE and NW angle of the castle which supported timber centring for the destroyed stone vaulting over the ground floor of the castle. Only a section of this stone vault is visible rising from the E and W sidewalls of the castle. There is good evidence of wicker centring visible on the underside of the upstanding sections of the stone vaulted roof. Only the N end of the E wall remains upstanding with evidence of a destroyed window embrasure visible at the S end of the E wall. A large wall cupboard or aumbry (dims. H 0.85m x L 1.25m x D 0.56m) is visible at N end of the E wall located in the NE angle of the ground floor. The S end of the E wall, the S wall and the S end of the W wall no longer survives. The N end of the W wall (int. L. 5.5m; wall T 1.5m) has a narrow single light broken out window set into a wide segmental arched embrasure (Wth 1.53m) with nib holes visible at springing level of arch the underside of which has evidence for wicker centring. The straight splay of the N side of the destroyed doorway described in 1841 is all that no survives of the doorway that was located off centre to S in the W wall. Outline of castle ruins are clearly visible on Digital Globe orthoimage taken between 2011-13. Folklore collected in 1938 from Ballymacelligott School recorded the following tradition about this castle; 'There is a ruin of a castle on the lands of Mr O'Sullivans of Flemly. It is situated a few yards from the public road. It was much more interesting a few years back than it is now, as the greater part of it has been knocked down and the stones used on the road. The walls were thick and there were stone staircases in it. The windows were very small and placed high up. The set of flours could be seen. It was a Anglo-Norman castle' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0444, Page 056;https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4706342/4704288/4762165?ChapterID=4706342). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 June 2022