Cappanacush Castle (in Ruins) — Dromore (dunkerron South By.)

Cappanacush Castle / Ceapaigh na Coise: This poorly preserved tower house is situated in a forestry plantation close to the N shore of Kenmare Bay, c. 7km W of Kenmare. It is associated with a branch of the O'Sullivans known as the Sliocht Mac Crath (Butler 1925, 47), and is noted in RIA MS 24 K 43 as having been built by Cor, grandson of Macarius O'Sullivan More. This personage has been identified as Conchur O'Sullivan, whose floruit was before c. 1450 (6 Ciobhain 1985, lxx). The castle stands on a large outcrop of rock on a low ridge. Its surviving remains consist only of the S wall, which stands to almost full height, and the attached E and W returns. The wall is 10.5m in length, 1.85m in thickness and displays a base batter returned to a height of 2.3m. The structure is of limestone and is built of roughly coursed split stone laid in a heavy gravel mortar with marine shell inclusions. The roughly dressed quoins are alternately face-bedded. The surviving features on the internal face of the ivy-clad S wall indicate that the castle was five storeys in height, with vaults roofing the first and third floor levels. Scant remains of the first floor vault survive on the S side of the ground floor, where it commences. The first floor of the castle was accommodated beneath this on beams, the sockets for two of which are preserved in the W wall close to the SW angle. A small rectangular loop, set in a broad embrasure with a lintelled rear arch, occurs in the S wall at ground floor level, and the S ingoing of another rectangular window embrasure is preserved in the W wall. A drawbar channel for securing a wooden shutter survives in the latter. The second floor level was lit by a narrow loop of which only the W jamb remains, set in a rectangular lintelled embrasure in the S wall, and by a window with moulded jambs set in a rectangular embrasure in the W wall, of which only the S jamb and ingoing survive. The floor of the third chamber was carried on a series of timber beams, some of the closely set sockets for which are preserved in the S wall. It was roofed by a vault the remains of which survive at S. Midway along the S wall are the well-preserved remains of a pointed loop of dressed chamfered stone, which is set in a large rectangular embrasure with a segmental rear arch. On the E side of this embrasure are the ivy-clad remains of a large fireplace with a dressed lintel, while to its W, close to the SW angle, is a wall-cupboard. The S ingoing of a window embrasure, the rear arch of which was raised on wicker-centring, remains in the W wall at this level. The uppermost floor was carried on scarcements, only portions of which survive. Midway along the S wall is preserved the lower portion of a narrow ope and to its W is a wider window set in a lintelled embrasure. A defaced window, of which only the S jamb remains, occurs in the W wall at this level. A line of vertical facing in the SE angle of the castle may represent the chute of a garderobe which existed at third floor level. Little of the castle is preserved above the upper levels of the fourth floor. The remains of a single merlon and of the alure, drained by projecting dripstones, of which two are visible at W, are preserved near the SW angle. 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. 1107. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 31 July 2013