Coonagh Castle (in ruins) — Coolbaun (coonagh By.)

Anglo Norman castle possibly built c. 1225 by William and Matilda de Marisco as the caput manor of the medieval cantred of Okonagh/Okonach/Oconoagh (Uí Chuanach) (O'Keeffe 2011, 91, 95, 96). The Archbishop of Dublin granted the cantred of Okonach as a wedding gift to William de Marisco when he married Matilda in 1225 (Cal Doc. Ire. 1171-1251, 409-10). Now standing in a farmyard on a rocky escarpment overlooking Cahernahallia River with Castletown church (LI025-004001-) 200m to E. O'Keeffe (29011, 95) has suggested that a curving brake in the slope of the ground on the S side may indicated the presence of an earlier earth-and-timber castle enclosure (approx. diam. 50m) possibly built by William de Braose. In 1251 the castle became a royal castle in the possession of Henry III who then granted custody of the castle to Walter Maunsell. chief serjeant of Munster (O'Keeffe 2011, 100). In 1281 the king granted Otho de Grandison, the 'castle, cantred, and land of Hokonagh [Coonagh], the vill of Tipperary, the castle and vill of Kilfecle, the land of Muskerry, the manor of Kilsylan, and the vill of Clonmel, all belonging to the K.' (Cal Doc. Ire. 1252-1284, 397). On the 1657 Down Survey map of Coonagh barony the castle is depicted standing beside a medieval road and fording point over the Cahernahallia River (NLI, MS 718) with Castletown Church (LI025-004001-) and possible medieval clustered settlement (LI025-002001-) in fields to the E of the river. In 1655 the Civil Survey recorded that in 1640, 'Mortagh Mc Bryne, Irish Papist of Longford' was in possession of 'a mill and a Castle in repaire' (Simington 1938, 18). Coonagh Castle ruins described in 1840 as following; 'A short distance to the west of this Church [LI025-004001-] stand, on the brink of a stream called Abhainn a Phá, the ruins of the chief Castle of Mac Brian Coonagh, now generally called Castletown Coonagh. It is a magnificent ruin consisting of a large keep with a high square tower at its east side. This tower measures on the outside eighteen feet ten inches [5.75m] from north to south and ten feet seven inches [3.2m] from east to west; a spiral staircase leads to its top; it is entered from the outside by a round headed doorway placed on the east side and measuring seven feet seven inches [2.3m] in height, but it's breadth could not be easily ascertained as its east side is totally destroyed. It was constructed of cut lime stone. The keep or house part of this Castle measures on the inside thirty feet four inches [9.25m] in breadth, but its length cannot be now ascertained as the west wall is totally destroyed. The part of the north wall now remaining is fifty feet [15.25m] long, but it was much longer originally. The tower above mentioned is not less than eighty feet [24m] in height and the north wall of the keep is about fifty feet [15m] in height and eight feet four inches [2.54m] in thickness at the base. Near the south west side of this fortress a gigantic fragment of the south wall is laid prostrate, but the stones adhere as firmly as if the whole were a solid rock' (OSL, 131). Westropp (1906-7, 102) recorded the following details on Castletown-Coonagh; ‘Marked in Coolbaun. 1578 Moriertagh O'Brien held the C. and orchard in Conagh, namely, Ballycaslane or Castletown (Inq. Exch., 7). 1572 Tirrelagh, his son, died seized of the C.s of Castletown, & c. (Inq. Exch., 7, 10). 1604 Livery granted to his son Murtagh mac Brien Ogonagh of Castletown C. (Pat. R.). 1611 Conoghor O'Brien held Cuonagh C. (Inq. Chan., 8b). 1625 Pardon to W. Longe, Tho. Lahiff, and various Bourkes, for alienations of Castletown. (Pat. R.). 1651-54 A Cromwellian garrison was kept at Castletown and Tough C.s. Cornet J. Andrews paid £18 for hay for the horses at both C.s. (Acct. R., m. 8). 1655 The C. and mill in repair held by Mort. MacBryne (O.S., xxiii., p. 28; B.D., 45). Fabric. - A tower, 80 feet high, measuring 19 feet by 10½ feet outside, the walls 8 feet 4 inches thick, the western having fallen. The main wing is 13½ feet long inside, with a spiral stair to the top, and an outer round-headed door (O.S.L., 9., p. 431)'. Castle described by Salter (2004, 77) 'Although later held by the O'Brien's, this is a spectacular Norman keep of c. 1200 with its east end still standing over 20m high, although only footings remain of the west wall and the promontory site has no obvious remains of any outworks. The keep was 18.6m long by 13.4m wide over walls 2.1m thick above a base batter extending up as high as the wooden floor of the main hall. This room has a damaged fireplace on the north and a complete round-headed window with embrasure seats on the south. The level above has a window facing north but may not have been a habitable space in the original design. A latrine projecting from the north wall at that level is awkwardly reached off a gallery in the east wall which is itself reached by a spacious spiral stair in a turret projecting from the middle of the east wall. Off the gallery a passage extends out to where there must have been some sort of wooden balcony high up on the outer face of the building. At each end of the gallery are small square rooms within corner turrets rising from the battered base. The rooms, gallery, passage and staircase all have clear signs of their vaults being constructed with a centring made of planks, evidence that all these parts are a part of the original design and not later additions or alterations. In fact the only certain later medieval feature is western jamb of a blocked south-facing doorway in the central turret. Above the stair this turret contains two upper levels, and the wall-walk of the main building was reached off a second spiral stair in the SE corner'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 07 January 2019