Castke Car — Castletown

Situated on a rock outcrop plinth (dims c. 30m N-S; c. 15m E-W; max. H 1.3-2m) that rises from a gentle S-facing slope on the floor of Glencar valley, with a small N-S stream just to the E. There is a reference to the capture and destruction of the O'Rourke castle of Car (Caisleán an Chairthe) in 1487 (AFM), which records the earliest use of guns in Ireland (McGivney 1932, 17-18; Hayes-McCoy 1938-9, 47). It was destroyed again in 1536 (McDermott 2019, 109-11, and in 1621-2 Tiernan Mac Owen O'Rourke received a grant of 1500 acres as the Manor of Carra (Mac an Ghalloglaigh 1971, 241, 254) and he may have refurbished the castle. This is a rectangular three-storey structure (ext. dims 13.4m E-W; 9.5m N-S; int. dims 9m E-W; 5.35m N-S) of which only the W gable and adjacent parts of the N and S walls survive. It is built of randomly coursed limestone masonry with dressed quoins, which are largely robbed, and a base-batter, but it lacks a barrel vault and all the windows on the upper floors appear to be inserted. The joists for the upper floors are set directly into the N and S walls. The W wall has a centrally located fireplace flanked by robbed single lights at the ground floor, with a light (Wth 0.07m; H 0.36m) of dressed stone that has a gun-loop beneath it in the S wall. There is an inserted two-light window with square hood-mouldings in the W wall at the first and second floors, with evidence of a fireplace in the N wall and a window embrasure in the S wall at the first floor. (Connellan 1946, 34-5) See the attached view taken from the W. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 September 2008