Esker Castle — Esker

On high ground at W end of an esker ridge now covered in small woodland, with commanding views of the surrounding countryside. Castle and bawn (OF006-031004-) overlooks a stream to the W called 'The Brook' which marks the townland boundary with Doon Demesne and the N62 road connecting Ferbane to Athlone. In the medieval period, this roadway or pass was known as the ‘Bealagh Leathcoill’ [Pass or road through the half/southern wood]. The castle stands 320m N of the Doon Cross Roads which lies beside a second medieval routeway known as the ‘Togher’. The line of which is partially preserved in the line of the R444 road which connects Clonmacnoise Castle (OF005-003001-) to Corracullin Castle (OF007-062----) via the Doon Cross Roads. The townland of Togher to the S of Esker Castle is evidence of this medieval routeway. This latter routeway appears to have traversed Mac Coghlans country from E to W and intersected with the ‘Bealagh Leathcoill’ at Doon Cross Roads. Part of the routeway known in medieval times as ‘The Togher’ is known today as the ‘Pilgrims Road’ connecting the monastery of Clonmacnoise to the village of Ballycumber. Togher Castle (OF006-032001-) which is annotated 'Togher Monastery' on historic OSi maps stands 265m to the S. The 19th century country house known as ‘The Doon’ which is the current residence of the Mooney family stands 510m to the W of the castle that was their ancestral home in the medieval era. Esker Castle and bawn is naturally defended on the W, N and S sides by its steep cliff-edge location at the W end of an esker ridge. The castle now standing three storeys high was originally approached from flat pasture land to the E of the castle. This multi-period castle is rectangular in plan, measuring externally 8.6m N-S by 12.6m E-W with walls 1.8m thick. The walls of the castle are constructed with random rubble sandstone with roughly shaped undressed quoins on the NW and SW angles but with dressed cut stone alternating quoins on the NE and SE angles. The cut stone alternating quoins are of 16th century date and suggest that this castle was largely rebuilt during this century. There is a prominent base batter measuring 2m high on the S and W walls of the castle only with no batter on the N wall and a large battered buttress built up against the S end of the W wall of the castle. The lack of a batter on two sides of the castle, along with the two different types of quoins and the presence of a large buttress on the E side suggests that the N and E walls of the castle were rebuilt and built onto the W and S walls of the earlier castle in the 16th century. There is a horizontal sheela-na-gig (OF006-031002-) carved in relief on the external E face of a quoin stone on the SE angle of the castle at first floor level. There is a garderobe chute outlet measuring 0.45m wide visible in the external face of the W wall near the NW angle of the castle. The castle stands on the W side of a large walled bawn area to the N and E of the castle. Lobby-Entrance: The castle was entered through a pointed cut stone doorway measuring 0.85m wide at the N end of the E wall. This doorway has an external rebate measuring 0.1m wide in its cut stone surround to accommodate an external iron yett which protected the inner wooden doorway of the castle. The draw-chain hole of this yett is visible in the S jamb of the doorway. The jamb stones of this doorway are chamfered and punch dressed with drafted margins suggesting that this doorway was inserted into the castle in the 16th century. The inner wooden doorway was secured by a drawbar, the slot of which still survives on the S side of the doorway. This drawbar slot measures 1.2m long by 0.16m wide by 0.2m high. The main doorway leads into a small vaulted lobby area, the stone vaulted roof of which has since collapsed. The stone vaulted roof appears to have been inserted into an earlier castle as the roof line of the vault cuts across the head of the window embrasure in the N wall of the castle. This single light flat headed cut stone window located at the E end of the N wall of the castle appears to be earlier than the later stone vaulted roof which cuts across the head of the inner face of this window embrasure. This vaulted area has been divided into two chambers by a cross wall which no longer survives. The N chamber directly opposite the main entrance of the castle measures internally 2.25m E-W by 2.35m N-S. The jamb stone of a destroyed doorway leading into the second chamber to the S can be seen in the inner face of the E wall. This doorway leads into a second chamber measuring 2.6m N-S by 2.25m E-W. A pointed cut stone doorway at the S end of the W wall of this chamber gives access to the main ground floor chamber of the castle. A second pointed cut stone doorway in the SE angle of this chamber gives access to a steep mural stairs from which all the upper floors of the castle were accessed Main Ground Floor Chamber: The main chamber of the ground floor measures internally 5.45m E-W by 3.95m N-S. The floor level of this ground floor has been changed as the beam hole for the wall plate of the wooden floor which is visible in the NW angle means that this floor cuts across the head of the window embrasure in the centre of the W wall. The window embrasure in the centre of the W wall is higher than the window embrasure in the centre of the N wall. The sill of the window in the centre of the W wall is stepped similar to windows found in 13th century castles while the window in the centre of the N wall dates from the 16th century. The rubble stone surround of the W window embrasure is different from the cut stone surround of the window embrasure in the N wall. Externally the window in the centre of the N wall consists of a single light ogee headed window with cut stone surround while the window in the W wall consists of a simple slit ope. It is likely that the floor level over the ground floor was changed when new windows were inserted into the N wall of the castle at ground, first and second floor levels. There is no window in the S wall of the castle due to the presence of a mural stairs in this wall. The only feature in this wall is a small square-headed wall-cupboard measuring 0.6m wide by 0.8m deep. A mural stairs with wicker centring on the underside of the roof measuring 0.9m wide is entered through a pointed doorway in the SE angle off the S lobby chamber. It gives access directly to the main chamber of the first floor. As you enter the mural stairs there is a murder-hole overhead directly inside the doorway. Access to this murder hole is from a chamber directly above the lobby area via a square-headed cut stone doorway. This chamber is accessed from the main chamber of the castle at first floor level. First Floor Chamber: The first floor of the castle now missing its original wooden floor is entered through a partially destroyed cut stone doorway in the S wall off the mural stairs. An unusual feature is that the mural stairs only rises to first floor level and does not continue to second floor level which may indicate that this building was originally only two storeys high. The first floor chamber measures internally 5.45m E-W by 3.95m N-S. This chamber was lit by a single light ogee headed cut stone window in the centre of the N wall. This cut stone unglazed window has hollowed spandrels with pock dressed jamb-stones of 16th century appearance. There is a pointed cut stone doorway in the W side of this window embrasure which leads to a garderobe chamber in the NW angle. To the E of the window embrasure there is a broken out ivy covered recess which appears to be the remains of a partially destroyed fireplace. There is a possible window embrasure located at the N end of the W wall of the first floor which is set low down into the wall and may be the embrasure of a gun-loop rather than the embrasure of a window. Directly above this embrasure