Castle (in Ruins) — Galesquarter

Erected by the MacGillapatricks c. 1425; damaged by the Crowellians in the mid seventeenth century and left uninhabitable (Carrigan 1905 vol. 2, 231-3). Built of roughly coursed limestone, this tower house (dims. 15m x 12.6m; wall T 0.95m) is five storeys high with a wall-walk. Most of N portion is missing, as is the doorway. Mural stairwell in NE angle. There is a N-S barrel vault over the ground floor with evidence of a loft which was accessed from an opening in N wall. Mural passage on first and second floors of S wall, and chambers in SE and SW angles, with remains of wicker-centring in SE ones. Large cut-limestone fireplace on second floor of E wall. The third floor was supported on wall thickness, as was the top floor. Intramural wall-walk and pitched gable on S wall; chimney stack on E wall. Most opes are simple rectangle ones. Carrigan (ibid., 232) refers to a sheela-na-gig (LA035-022002-) on E wall and a draw-well (LA035-022003-) in centre of courtyard. No trace of either visible. A large well preserved seven-sided bawn wall (LA035-022005-) (dims. c. 80m N-S, c. 60m E-W; wall T c. 1.1m), with gun loops at N and E, survives; and an inner defensive wall with angle towers, which is set close to the tower house. It appears to have been destroyed at N and E. 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