Dungar Castle — Dungar

Situated on a slight rise in upland area. Well preserved circular tower (int. diam. 5.6m; wall T 1.1m) with second circular tower containing spiral stairs attached to the S face of the main tower which gives an unusual ground plan of two adjoining circles. All the main chambers are accessed from the spiral stairs. At second floor level there is a mural chamber which leads to a garderobe accessed from the spiral stairs, a second mural chamber and garderobe directly above at third floor level is accessed from the main chamber. The tower is constructed with uncoursed limestone rubble with evidence of a slight base batter. The main door now destroyed is located on the E face. All the floors of the tower are wooden being carried in the thickness of the wall. The windows are mainly flat headed windows with larger windows lighting the upper floors of the main chambers. The doors are all of the two centred pointed types with finely punch dressed jambs similar to Coole Castle (OF015-017----) dated 1575 and the Mint in Carlingford in Co. Louth also dated to the second half of the 16th-century. The doorway from the spiral stairs to the third floor has punch dressing in decorative patterns such as opposing triangles. There is a blocked fireplace on the N wall of the main chamber at third floor level with rectangular chimney flue at wall-walk level. The spiral stairs leads up to the wall-walk which is square in shape and carried on corbelled oversailing at the four corners of the tower. This explains the square interior plan of the third floor only which was built to carry the above wall-walk. Also at wall-walk level there is a well-preserved S gable of the original Tower house roof. Other features include a double ope garderobe chute 2.1m above ground level on the S face and two slop stones at second and third floor levels on the same face. All the architectural features along with the fine punch dressing and drafting in the margins would suggest a late 16th/early 17th-century date for the tower. Approximately 180m to the east of the tower are the grass covered wall footings of a possible circular tower house as depicted by a sappers drawing in the Cromwellian period. In the front garden of the 19th-century house are two medieval mortars each with four side lugs. Possible late medieval tower associated with 1619 plantation. 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