Castle Core (in Ruins) — Dromaloughane

Castle Cove / Caisleán an Churraigh: This tower house is associated with the Macgillycuddy's of the Reeks, a branch of the O'Sullivans (Butler 1925, 45). It was last occupied by Doriough Macgillycuddy who forfeited it as a consequence of his support for the Royalist cause in the 1640s. On forfeiture, it is reputed to have been burned by Donough. The castle is located in good pastureland midway between Macgillycuddy's Reeks and the River Laune. Its surviving remains consist of the N wall, which stands to its full height of c. 16m, and the attached E and W returns. The wall is 10.5m in length, 2.1m in thickness and features a slight base batter returned to a height of 2.3m. The structure is built of coursed rubble laid in a lime pebble mortar. The dressed sandstone quoins are alternately face-bedded, and are missing from the lower NE and NW angles. The surviving features on the internal face of the N wall indicate that the structure was four storeys in height, with a gabled attic storey. Fireplaces occur at three floor levels and the parapet, complete with machicolation at NE, is well-preserved. The entrance to the castle, as well as the stairways which communicated between the various floor levels, appear to have been located in its levelled S section. The remnants of loops survive in the N, E and W walls at ground floor level. At E only a portion of the N ingoing of the embrasure is preserved, while at W both the splayed ingoings and rear arch survive; traces of burnning are visible on the N ingoing. At N the loop is located in the NE angle and is set in a lintelled embrasure with splayed ingoings. To its W a large fireplace survives as a ragged ope, 1.05m in depth, from which a tapering chimney flue extends upwards to E. The first floor was of timber, carried on N-S wall-plates: that at E was supported on rough corbels, two of which survive, while the N end of the W example was accommodated in the wall. Remnants of two windows occur at this level; at E only the N ingoing of the embrasure is preserved, while at W the N jamb of a splayed ope set in a rectangular embrasure survives. A fireplace, measuring 1.8m wide and .6m deep, occurs at the E end of the N wall. Now robbed of its fittings, it appears to have featured jambs formed of single slabs and a mantel shelf supported by two rough corbels which are preserved just above the level of the missing jambs. The second floor was carried on N-S wall-plates set on scarcements with their ends accommodated in the N wall. Remnants of two windows survive at this level; only the slightly splayed N ingoing of the embrasure of that at E is preserved, while at W the splayed N ingoings and soffit, which is possibly plank centred, survive. A single, punch-dressed stone is visible in the ingoing of the embrasure. The third floor was carried on wall beams supported on corbels, only one of which, at W, survives. The sockets for the ends of these beams are preserved in the N wall. Very scant remnants of the N ingoing of a window embrasure are visible at E. At W are the remains of a fine, two-light window of cut limestone, now lacking its central mullion, the surviving N jamb of which is grooved. It features an external hood-mould with double returns and is set in a rectangular embrasure with a segmental rear arch. A well-preserved fireplace occurs at the W end of the N wall and features plain limestone jambs above which rough corbels support a mantelpiece and shelf, only the ends of which survive. An offset, from which a pitched gable rises, occurs in the N wall at the upper level of the third floor. It may have served to support the floor of an attic storey. The gable at N stands to full height and features two beam sockets near its apex; it partly incorporates a rectangular chimney stack. The alure is drained by outwardly sloping slabs which deliver through rectangular outlets along the base of the parapet, some of which are furnished with projecting dripstones. The parapet features stepped merlons, some of which are pierced by small gun loops, and is carried outwards behind the chimney stack on a series of large, rough, multiple corbels. This feature merges with a bartizan, borne by well-wrought limestone corbels, which commands the NE angle of the tower house. 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. 1106. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013