Castle (in ruins) — Ballynahinch

In 1840 the Ordnance Survey described Dunmoon [Ballynahinch] Castle as follows; ‘This castle measures forty two feet [12.8m] by twenty two and a half feet [6.85m] inside the walls. Winding stairs of stone steps ascend in the north end of the building, twenty eight feet [8.53m] in perpendicular heights. There are two gables, north and south, with a chimney on each, built with bricks inside and with stones outside. Bricks are in several parts of the walls on the inside and plastering remains in several places on them inside. The side walls are about thirty feet [9.1m] high. The wall at the doorway is six feet [1.8m] thick. The doorway is on the west side over it being only four feet [1.2m] thick. The doorway is quadrangular, built with chiselled limestone. Its breadth is three feet five inches [1.04m] and height six feet eight inches [2m]. Windows on this building are quadrangular; there is narrow round one on west wall near north end and two narrow four-cornered ones over it. The materials of this building are limestones with some brick inside and cement of lime and sand mortar. It seems grouting was made us of in raising the walls’ (O’Flanagan 1929, 83). The terrier of the 1654-56 Down Survey map of Down and Long parish map recorded that; ‘Upon Downemoone Standes a Faire Castle and a good Irish Towne [LI048-020002-]’ (NLI MS 718). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Gibbon fitz Gibbon of Doonmoone, an Irish Papist was in 1640 the owner of Doonmoone, ‘whereon stands a Castle [LI048-020----], Bawne [LI048-020001-] & a Mill’ [LI048-125----] along with ‘three tatch houses, two whereof have two stone Chymnies and about 22 smale Cabyns’ (Simington 1938, 234). Westropp (1906-7, 195-6) recorded the following details about Ballynahinch [Dunmoon] Castle; '1300 Suit of T. de Molton and Matilda Botiller, his wife, about the free tenants in Dunmoun (Plea R., 42). 1540 The three seisreachs of Baile-na-hinnsi (Burke rental). 1576 Edm. FitzGibbon, the White Knight, is granted J. MacShehie's head-rent on Downemoane (Fi. 2873). 1590 The regrant of same (Fi. 5517). 1625 Maur. f. David Gibbon held Ballynehensy (Inq. Chan., 7). 1655 Dunmoone C[astle], Gibon f. Gibon (C.S., xxv., p. 10), sold to Rob. Oliver (B.D., 92) as Doonmooh, alias Ballynahency, confirmed 1666 (Act Sett.)'. Castle described by Salter (2004, 65) as follows; 'Margaret Grant, widow of Gibbon FitzGibbon, erected this castle in the 1620s or 30s. It measures 16m long by 10.2m wide and has at the east end an entrance passage set between a vaulted room and a wide spiral staircase (now broken) in the NE corner. The main rooms are not vaulted and there are remains of mullion-and-transom windows with hoodmoulds and also gables set on the outer walls. The only gunloop commands the entrance, later blocked up and replaced by another entrance (with its own murder-hole) on the north side. The second storey has a fine fireplace on the north and the third storey a fireplace on the south, whilst subsidiary rooms at the east end also had fireplaces'. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 22 September 2021