Dysert Castle (in ruins) — Dysert

Westropp (1906-7) recorded the following details about Dysert also known as Díseart Muirdeabhair; 'Probably included Morgans [LI010-030----] and Craggs [LI010-177----] at one time. Diseart Murdebrair in Ui Chonaill Gabrai (Cal. Oenghus), Disuirt Murdewar, 1201; Dissert Marrgeoin, 1336. 1584 Morris mac Tirrelagh Mac Moryertagh (O'Brien) held the Isles of Arin, near Galway; Crag mac teigh, near Dissert, in Conyllagh (Inq. Exch., 12, p. 270; Peyton, 187). 1600 Jas. Gould held at his death Craige and Disertbargeon from the Bishop (Inq. Exch., Vis. Reg.). 1608 J. Wakeman held them, as estate of Teige Clansie, attainted (Pat. R., Rev. Exch., 1613-18, &c). 1638-1655 Wingfield held Craige and Dissert C[astle]. (C.S., 95)'. The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Sir Edward Wingfield was in possession of the lands of 'Craige and Dissarte' which contained a 'Castle 72 Irish accres' (Simington 1938, 327). Fabric - A tower 19 feet [5.8m] by 13 feet [4m], inside; walls, 4½ feet [1.4m] thick. It is four stories high, with a barrel stair of sixty-eight steps north-west beside the door, the latter protected by a "murder-hole". The lower and third story are vaulted, with a closet in the wall on the second floor. The details are of the later fifteenth century. There are slight traces of a side wing and bawn [LI010-077001-], all much injured (O.S.L., 8, p. 17). The Ordnance Survey Letters for the parish of Robertstown describes the castle remains as, 'on level ground, measures nineteen feet [5.8m] by thirteen feet [4m] inside. It has four stories, the arches of two of which still remains. The walls are about fifty feet [15m] high and four and a half feet [1.4m] in thickness'. The ruins of Dysert Castle stands on low-lying pasture overlooking the wet floodplains of the Robertstown River to E. On 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map the castle is depicted standing in the centre of a sub-rectangular-shaped field or bawn (LI010-077001-)with poorly drained land on all sides except at W. Ringforts (LI010-075-/076----) 165m to W and 210m to NNW respectively. Well preserved but ivy-covered castle built with limestone masonry and a high prominent base batter that has been robbed out on all corners. Four-storey rectangular tower (ext. dims. 8.85m N-S x 9.8m E-W) with partially destroyed garderobe tower on SW angle. Only a short section of the E wall of the garderobe tower survives projection out from the S wall of the castle and this tower appears to be the side wall and bawn described above by Westropp. The castle is entered via a flat-headed rectangular doorway (Wth 1.2m; H 2.3m) of roughly cut limestone with external chamfer in centre of W wall which leads to a lobby area off which the spiral stairs is accessed in NW angle. The stairs is accessed from the lobby via a round-headed doorway (Wth 0.6m; H 1.84m). Ground floor chamber (int. dims. 4.4m N-S x 5.85m E-W) entered through a pointed cut-stone doorway (Wth 0.8m; H 2m) in E wall of lobby area. The doorway has lightly punch-dressed external chamfered jambstones with drawbar socket (dims. 0.44m x 0.13m x D 1.1m) internally on either side. The lobby area is protected by overhead murder-hole (1.3m x 0.3m). This chamber with stone vaulted roof is lit by a single light slit opes in centre of N, E and S walls. These double-splayed windows have cut stone surrounds set into the centre of the wall and splay internally and externally given their distinctive double splay. The flat-headed windows have chamfered cut limestone surrounds and are set into poorly preserved window embrasures (H 0.9m; Wth 1m) . The stone vaulted roof has traces of plaster still visible on the underside of the roof and also visible on all four walls of the ground floor chamber. A hole (Wth 0.9m H 0.9m; D 0.52m) in the SE corner of the ground floor chamber reveals an intramural chute-like opening (dims. 0.5m x 0.43m) which runs down from the first floor in the thickness of the wall. There is no clear opening or exit hole for this chute which has the appearance of a possible secret mural chamber. A small circular iron-loop visible in E side of breach in wall may have been some sort of fixture for wooden floor. The first floor is accessed via a pointed doorway off the spiral stairs (diam. 0.78m) in the NW angle which is lit by narrow flat headed slit opes (Wth 0.08m x H 0.8m). The pointed doorway (H 1.62m; Wth 0.7m) has lightly punch-dressed jambs with semi-circular shaped threshold stone visible. Internally the door has rebated jambs with drawbar socket (L 0.12m x Wth 0.15m x D 0.48m) visible on S side. Directly inside the doorway on N wall there is a recessed section (Wth 0.75m x D 0.2m) in the wall to accommodate the wooden door of the first floor. This chamber is lit by two large windows in the N, and S walls which are set large embrasures that are almost floor to ceiling high. The N window (H 2m x Wth 0.58m) is set into a slight segmental arched embrasure (H 2.2m x Wth 1.18m) while the S window (H 1.14m x Wth 0.17m) stands inside a flat-headed embrasure (H. 1.9m x Wth 1m). A flat headed window off centre to N in the E wall gives access to a mural passage from a doorway in the S wall of the window embrasure. This L-shaped mural passage (Wth 0.6m x H 2.06m x L 1.97m) runs S in the thickness of the E wall and turns W for a short distance forming an L-shaped plan. The end of this lintelled chamber is lit by a narrow slit window in the SE corner with stone lined hole (0.36m x 0.33m) in the floor of the passage which presumably gave access to the secret intramural chamber. An aumbry or wall-cupboard (H. 0.52m x Wth 0.73m X D 0.62m) is visible off centre to W in S wall c. 0.9m high above the floor level. A flat-headed breach in the W wall of the first floor unusually located 1.2m above the floor level gives access to the murder-hole chamber (L 2.5m x Wth 1m) over the lobby area. This murder-hole chamber is lit by a slit ope window in the W wall. Limestone corbels which supported the wall plate for a wooden floor over this chamber are visible in the N and S walls. There is evidence of wicker-centring on the underside of the arches of the window embrasures in the N and S walls. The stone vaulted second floor is accessed off a pointed doorway (H 1.18m; Wth 0.7m) from the spiral stairs in NW corner. Traces of wicker-centring are visible on the partially destroyed stone vaulted roof. This chamber is lit by three windows, one in each of the N, E and S walls that are set into tall floor to ceiling embrasures. The base of the S window embrasure unusually extends down to serve as the lintel of the window of the first floor below. A doorway in the centre of the W wall leads into a mural chamber which is not accessible. This probably gave access to the garderobe in the SW angle. A series of small holes in the wall to E of N window appear to be nesting boxes for pigeons suggesting that the interior was converted into a dovecote in the post-medieval period. The third floor (int. dims. 7.3m E-W x 4.3m N-S) above the stone vaulted second floor was accessed through a pointed doorway (H 1.7m; Wth 0.7m) accessed off the spiral stairs in the NW angle. A recessed section (0.83m x 0.1m) of the wall directly inside the doorway to S in W wall was built to accommodate the internal wooden doorway. This floor had a stone vaulted roof the springers of which are all that survive and are now visible in the W wall. A large breach off centre to E in the N wall was probably a broken out window embrasure. A twin-light ogee-headed window with internally rebated jambs set into a large flat-headed embrasure (H 2.7m x Wth 1.7m) is visible in the centre of the E wall. A single light ogee-headed window with probable slop-stone beneath set into a large flat-headed window embrasure is visible off centre to E in the S wall. A gap or hole in the wall is visible off centre to E in S wall close to SE corner. The spiral stairs in the NW angle r