Ballaghmore Castle — Ballaghmore Lower

In undulating countryside. Ballaghmore Castle may have been built in the late fifteenth century as a residence of the Fitzpatricks of Ossory near a fork in the ancient road known as the Slighe Dala (LA025-018) (Feehan and Cunningham 1978, 117). The castle was taken by Cromwellian forces and partially dismantled in 1647 (Gleeson 1982, 632). Well preserved tower house that was restored in the 19th century and recently revamped. A rectangular-shaped tower house (dims. c. 14.1m SW-NW, 11.85m SE-NE) five storeys high, built of rubble limestone with a slight base-batter. It had a court or bawn (LA015-017003-) immediately surrounding it with circular angle towers. Modern entrance in NE wall. Original entrance with murder hole in NW wall. To N of doorway a mural passage leads to a mural stairs which accesses a spiral stairs in N angle. Access to first floor via a two-centered limestone pointed arch doorway. Mural passage in SW wall at first-floor level, and in SE wall at third-floor level which leads to a garderobe in E angle. Wicker-centred mural chamber in W angle. Spiral stairs in N angle leads to fourth-floor chamber, and stairs in SW angle leads to roof level. Windows are mainly narrow slit opes, but there is an ogee-headed window at NE and some cross-loops in SE wall. Remains of a curtain wall (wall T c. 0.95m), set close to the tower house wall (i.e. only c. 1m out from it), survive. It has a mural tower with a corbelled roof at S angle, and remains of another at W angle. Half of the W angle tower survives (max. H 1.5m), and all of the S angle tower (ext. diam. 3.7m; int. diam. 1.63m; wall T 0.7m) survives intact and has a corbelled roof 2.6m high and has three gun loops only one of which survives completely intact facing S. On the external face of the SW wall of the tower house between the second and third floor levels there is a sheela-na-gig (LA015-017002-) carved in bold relief. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 December 2007