Garry Castle in ruins — Garrycastle

Situated on a low natural rise in undulating countryside. Remains of four storey tower (ext. dims. 9.7m E-W; wall T 2.2m) built with roughly coursed limestone rubble with only N wall and part of W wall surviving. Circular tower attached to W side of tower house via original bawn wall running S from this tower. Originally the bawn would have returned E to join onto the tower house. The surviving larger bawn belongs to a later 16th/17th-century building phase. Architectural features evident on the Tower house consist of a bartizan on NE angle at battlement level with Sheela-na-gig (OF029-006004-) beside corbel of destroyed bartizan, mural passage in E wall at first floor level gives access to a garderobe in the NE angle with a second garderobe directly above at second floor level. Evidence of a destroyed fireplace at the centre of the N wall at second floor level with mural chamber in the NW angle also at this level. The ground floor has a barrel vault over, with wooden floors carried in the thickness of the wall over the upper storeys. The larger surviving bawn wall (dims. 50m E-W; 53m N-S; wall T 1m) with wall-walk has a two centred gateway with punch dressed jambs and is not contemporary with the adjoining Tower house. The gateway is protected externally by a machicolation which is accessed from a gatehouse directly over the interior of the gate. From this gatehouse the wall walk was accessed. During this phase a large fortified house (dims. 18.7m N-S; 10.7m E-W; wall T 1.3m) was built to the S of the tower house forming the W side of the bawn wall. Only the W wall and S gable with part of the E wall survives. The house had a flanking gun tower one storey high at the SW angle which was accessed from the ground floor of the house. Other features include a curious double fireplace in the S gable wall with no evidence of a chimney flue visible, three opes in the W wall and a single punch dressed jamb of a window splay on the S end of the E wall with a larger window directly opposite on the W wall. Mural stairs in the W wall was accessed from the NW angle and gave access to the wall walk. Possible evidence to indicate a flanking tower existed at this angle as well. Later Georgian farmhouse added to the E wall of the bawn. Interesting site with continuous occupation from the late medieval phase to the present century with the architecture reflecting each contrasting period. Stronghold of the Mac Coghlan's built in the year 1450 (ITA Survey 1942). (Cooke 1875, 314; Weir 1980, 62) Archaeological monitoring of topsoil-stripping was undertaken by Dominic Delany at Garrycastle, Banagher, Co. Offaly, in December 1997. A number of areas were stripped as part of the ongoing restoration and extension of an existing Georgian dwelling-house inside a late medieval bawn. The archaeological remains at the site comprise a tower-house, a fortified gabled dwelling, and a large irregular bawn with gatehouse at north and circular angle-towers at north-west and south-west. Topsoil-stripping was confined to the areas on the south and south-west sides of the Georgian house, the area within the existing extension on the west side of the house and the site of the proposed septic tank and percolation area about 20m north-east of the house. The topsoil consisted of a dark brown clayey silt with moderate inclusions of roots, cobbles, pebbles, brick, slate, mortar and modern pottery sherds and glass fragments. Naturally occurring deposits of orange silty clay and light brown medium sand were encountered at a depth of 0.45m. Two wall foundations were encountered on the south side of the dwelling-house. The foundations were 0.55m wide and were of rubble limestone masonry facing a mortared rubble core. The foundations were those of a demolished structure which abutted the south gable of the dwelling-house. This structure was entered through a brick-arched doorway (now blocked) in the bawn wall immediately south-east of the dwelling-house. No deposits or features pre-dating the Georgian house were encountered. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 23 May 2011