Castle — tower house in Castleconway

Castleconway: The building of a castle at Killorglin in 1215 by Maurice Fitzgerald is recorded in a number of sources (6 hlnnse 1947, 91). In 1234 the Crown commanded FitzGerald to assign 'a sufficiency for the maintenance of the castles of Kylorgelan' to Geoffrey de Marisco, who held the castle on its behalf (Cal Doc Ire, I, 331). Following the defeat of the Geraldines at the battle of Callan in 1261, it was burned by the Mac-Carthys (AI). It was apparently refortified, for it was again burned and razed by the MacCarthys in 1280 (AI). The site is reputed to have subsequently become associated with the Knights Templar, though this is unlikely (Foley 1988, 5). The existing ruins at Killorglin are those of a later tower house which was forfeited by the MacCarthys in 1583 and granted to Captain Jenkin Conway (Cal Car MSS 1587, 448), who, apparently, refortified it and constructed a bawn wall around it (Hickson 1872, 26). It was burned by Florence MacCarthy More in 1600 (King 1910, 218). It was described as a ruin by William Molyneaux in 1682 (O'Sullivan 1971, 39), but was subsequently repaired and remained in the Conway-Blennerhassett family until 1795. It was inhabited until the 1840s (Windele RIA MS 12 C 11). The poorly preserved remains of the castle stand on the N side of Lower Bridge Street, Killorglin, in a strategic position which overlooks the River Laune to E. These comprise only its S wall, with the attached E and W returns, and a SW corner turret. It is adjoined by nineteenth century-buildings at S, E and W and its interior is occupied by a garden. It is built of rubble laid in a lime pebble mortar. The S wall is 14.4m in length externally and has a rather dilapidated base batter, returned to a height of 3.1m. The E and W returns average 2.6m in length and 1.85m in thickness. Two storeys of the building are evidenced by the surviving features on the internal face of the S wall and by the stairway. The entrance was probably located in its levelled N portion. The remnants of two loops and a doorway survive in the S wall at ground floor level. The loop at E features widely splayed ingoings and a soffit formed of stepped lintels. Both loops are blocked internally by a considerable build-up of material, c. 2m in depth. The doorway, only the lintel of which is visible, is located at the W end of the S wall. Through it access was gained to the turret stairway via a short passage which features traces of plank-centring on its arched roof. Communication between the ground and first floor levels of the building was by means of the circular stairway in the turret, access to which is now gained through a ragged break in the W wall. The stair spirals clockwise and is lit between ground and first floor levels by a small splayed loop in the W wall. It is ceiled by an arch, and three finely dressed red sandstone newels survive in situ. Access to the first floor level was gained through a now blocked, tall, lintelled doorway with roughly dressed jambs. The floor at this level was carried on a series of timber beams, some of the closely set sockets for which are preserved in the S wall. Centrally positioned at S is a tall, round-headed window embrasure, to W of which is a second, somewhat smaller, example; both are blocked. Traces of plaster are preserved at this level of the castle. The remains of a small garderobe chamber, located in the E side of the turret, occur above first floor level. Accessed from the stairway, it measures 2.1m N-S x 1.2m E-W and features traces of plank-centring on its poorly preserved roof. The remains of the discharge chute are preserved directly beneath it. The stair continues to the second floor level of the building above which no features are preserved. The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1105. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013