Ballyadams Castle (in Ruins) — Ballyadams

A six-storey high late medieval structure (dims. 10.7m N-S) with rounded towers at SW and NW angles between which is an imposing entrance way. Large rectangular seventeenth-century three-storey fortified house (LA019-028002-) attached to E side. The entrance way is recessed with a round segmental arch over the recess, while the doorway has a two-centred arch over it. Spanning the area between the towers, flush with their outer faces and just below the uppermost storey is another segmental arch which forms a machicolation over the entrance below. There is also a murder- hole at first-floor level over the doorway. Garderobe chamber and chute in NE angle and stairwell in NW tower. Most of the window opes are plain but some are ogee headed with two lights, while the uppermost ones have hood mouldings. Marked on the Down Survey and on the 1563 map of Laois and Offaly. In gently undulating countryside in arable land. Constructed in the reign of Henry VII by Adam O'More. It was taken by the Geraldines in the rebellion of Silken Thomas. In 1546 the Lord Justice with the Earl of Desmond came with their armies to Laois. Ballyadams was given to John Bowen (O'Byrne 1856, 74; Comerford 1886, 125-6). A six-storey tower house with tower at NW angle. Entrance way is recessed with round headed two centered segmented arch overhead. Rectangular ope carried by the squinch which spans the gap between the angle towers immediately over arch. Murder hole at first floor level over doorway and main staircase is in the N tower. Chamber with barrel vault at first floor level in South tower and a large garderobe chute, rectangular in shape in NE angle. A late seventeenth century fortified house,three storeys high is attached to the original tower at the E and S. Visited and surveyed by Michael Moore on the 30 May 1994 and described as situated on the W edge of a plain which stretches off to E and N. Land rises to a hill immediately to W and there is a gentle rise to the S. The services tower is in an excellent condition but the house is in very poor condition. This is a three storey medieval house with a service tower offset to W and N. The services tower is six storeys high and contains an imposing entrance, defensive features and garderobes while the house was devoted exclusively to living and was much altered probably in the eighteenth century by the insertion of large windows. The house (ext. dims. 19.95m N-S; 11.42m E-W; wall T 1.5m) is composed of roughly coursed limestone mortared walls. There is no base batter and no dressed quoins. The line of a gate is built into the S wall off centre to E indicating that their may have been some sort of a bawn wall to S of castle. The only original features associated with the house are a narrow window with limestone surrounds at E end of S wall and blocked lights in the N and S walls. These lights are blocked by the N-S internal cross wall (wall T 1.05m) which divided the ground floor into two chambers. Remains of vaulting over W chamber still visible at springing level in NW angle of ground floor and evidence of vaulting over E chamber visible over N end of ground floor chamber. There are three inserted windows in the E wall and two in the W wall. There is an inserted brick fireplace in the N wall of the W chamber. The cross wall is a later inserted feature. The ceiling was originally supported on offsets on all walls except the N. A modern structure is attached to the E wall but there is one corbel here indicating that there may have been a lean-to structure. The entrance to the service tower is now 1.15m wide and 2.9m high but was originally 1.5m wide. It is protected by a murder hole which covers the ground immediately outside the entrance from the overhang of the first floor. Inside the entrance passage (Wth 1.1m; L 2.5m) a lintelled doorway on the S gives access to the ground floor of the S tower which is a D-shaped room with vaulted roof. There is a rectangular hole in the floor which gives access to an oubliette or prison below and consists of a small rectangular vaulted room which also has direct access into the main house by a lintelled doorway. The main entrance passage enters the house by an inner doorway which has a flat arch and which is now blocked. The entrance passage has a plastered barrel vaulted roof running E-W. On the n side of the entrance passage three steps lead down to a corbelled chamber with one large light, one cupboard and an inserted ledge where a wooden bench had sat into the wall and was plastered over. Between this room and the entrance passage the mural stairs starts lighted by large windows with limestone surrounds that leads up to the first floor. First floor level the stairs gives access to a barrel vaulted chamber over the entrance passage off this chamber to the S there is a small D-shaped barrel vaulted room in the service tower with an inserted brick fireplace in the SW wall. No visible access from this tower directly into main part of house but this access may have been blocked up. The entrance to the first floor chamber of the house is via a doorway off the stairs and located off centre to N in the W wall. Evidence of a garderobe chute in NW angle at junction of service tower and main block of house at first floor level possibly accessed of lobby area off stairs at first floor level. Possible original fireplace off centre to W in N wall. There are two large recesses in the S wall that may have accommodated two fireplaces but they are completely destroyed now. There are two corbels in the W wall which supported the ceiling over the first floor. Second floor accessed off spiral stairs in circular service tower In NW angle which also gives access to garderobe chute off centre to W in N wall of antechamber from which main chamber is accessed. This main chamber has a large flue that projects externally from the N wall in the centre of the N wall and had a wooden ceiling carried on offsets in the side walls. Large broken out recess in the centre of the S wall, windows inserted in the E and W walls. Brick fireplace in SW wall of SW service tower at second floor level. Third floor accessed via spiral stairs in NW service tower, Brick fireplace in SW service tower at this level and access to garderobe off spiral stairs in E wall of stairs. Access to main chamber now blocked up and not visible. Fourth Floor service tower similar in layout to the thrid floor with ogee-headed windows visible in S face of SW service tower, fireplace in SW face of SW angle tower, garderobe accessed off main chamber of service tower at this level, private living sleeping quarters of the people who built the castle. Fifth floor service tower gives access to wall walk over castle via doorway in E wall of SW tower of service block, also mural steps in S wall of this service tower gives access to a small turret or lookout tower over S wall of SW angle tower above wall walk level. 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