Clonburren Castle — Clonburren

In the early seventeenth century, this was the home of Teige Fitzpatrick who was later Lord of Upper Ossory. Shown as a ruin on the Down Survey (Carrigan 1905 vol. 2, 343). A rectangular tower house (12.5m NE-SW; 9.4m NW-SE), five storeys high with a wall-walk and base-batter. The opes are mainly simple slits with two-light ogee-headed windows at the upper level. Remains of doorway in NE wall, directly inside of which is a rectangular-shaped chamber; another lies overhead. Guard chamber in N angle, and stairwell in E angle from which two-centred arched doorways give access to different floor levels. A barrel vault runs NE-SW over fourth floor. Mural passages in SW wall on third and fourth floors. Garderobe chute in NE wall. Cross loops and gun loops visible in E angle. Described by Carrigan as 'Clonburren castle, roofless, but fairly preserved, is 40 ft. [12.2m] by 31 ft. [9.45m] externally, the walls being 7 ft. [2.1m] thick. There are four storeys under the stone arch, and another storey and a garret over it. The entrance door is a mere breach; all the other doors are of cut-stone and Gothic, except two which are flat-headed. There was a fire-place with an ornamental chimney-piece, in part destroyed, in the third storey; there was another fire-place in the fourth storey. There was no fireplace in the fifth storey, which was the state room, and is lighted by four ogee-headed windows each divided by a mullion. All the other rooms were lighted by narrow cut-stone loops, in number, twenty-seven, some being cross-shaped. The stairways is in the thickness of the walls, which contain, besides, several other passages. A machicolation ran around nearly all the top' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 343). 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