Indicated — Castletown (castletownarra Par.)

The castle of Castletown (Baile an Chaisleáin/town of the castle) which was the ancient residence of the O'Brien family of Arra, in the parish of Castlownarra, barony of Owney and Arra, stands on a low rise of ground on flat pasture with Lough Derg immediately to the W. The castle was the stronghold of the family of Mac Ui Brien Aradh of the Clann Brian Ruadh, who crossed the Shannon from Clare after the battle of Dysert O'Dea in 1318 (Gleeson and Costello 1943, 5). In 1606 as part of a surrender and regrant scheme, King James I granted Murtagh, son and heir of Tirlagh Mc Ibrien Arragh, lands in Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and Galway which included, 'The manor, town and lands of Castleton in the cantred of Arra, containing 3 carucates' (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas., 89). In the same grant he was also granted the; 'the advowsons and right of patronage of the rectories and vicarages of Castletowne [TN019-002001-] and Muse - the vicarages of Yeoghill [Youghal TN014-045001-], Borges [Burgesbeg TN025-038001-], and Slewybogga - the rectories and vicarages of Finnaught [Finnoe TN010-020001-] and Mudrynie [Modreeny TN010-084001-], and the rectories of Dwarra [Dorrha TN005-005001-] and Bunnacham [Bonahum TN001-013001-]; except all manors, &c. belonging to the see of Killalowe, all lands belonging to abbeys, &c. the crown's right by any other means than by the said surrender, the right of sir Terence O'Brien, knt. second brother of the said Murtagh, and the right of all the free tenants or any other persons to the premises or any part thereof' (ibid.). Murtagh was also granted a 'License to hold a thursday market at Castleton, a fair at Pallaice [TN034-086001-] on St Luke's day, and the day folowing a court baron monthly at Castleton, and a court leet half yearly at Pallaice, before his seneschal or seneschals. This grant was passed upon his surrender, dated 27 Feb. 1605, of the country or territory of Arra other wise Mc I-Brian Arra of Dowgh [Tuath]-Arra, lying in Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and Galway Cos' (ibid.). Donogh O Bryen [O'Brien] of Ballina Castle (TN025-094002-), Irish Papist, is listed as the proprietor in 1640 (ibid.). Castle with gatehouse, slate house (TN019-001002-), an orchard, a garden, watermill, small clustered settlement, four eel weirs and nearby parish church described in the 1654-56 Civil Survey of Tipperary as follows; 'Uppon the s[ai]d. lands of Donogh O Bryen standeth the Castle of Castletowne sctuated close by the Shannon together wth. a barbicon & a Slate house as alsoe a Garden & an Orchard a watermill [TN019-003----] and eight thatch tennemts. there alsoe standeth the Parish Church [TN019-002001-] of Castletowne. There alsoe belongeth to the lands of Castletowne fower Ile [eel] weires on the River of Shannon betwixt Beallanaha [Ballina] and Killalow [Killaloe]' (Simington 1934, vol. 2, 153). The survey recorded that 'There alsoe belonged a Courte Barron to the sd. lands of Castletowne to be held at Castletowne by lettrs. Pattents (as wee are informed)' (ibid.). The Civil Survey recorded that the owner Donogh O'Brien of Ballina was proprietor in fee as he had purchased the property of Castletown from 'the heires Gennerall of Sr. Therlagh [Turlough] O Byren (vizt) Onora, Margarett & More Bryen & others their ffeoffees of six pl[oughlan]ds three q[ua]rters & one sixteenth p[ar]te of a pl[oughlan]d of the s[ai]d. eight pl[oughlan]ds. These lands were then 'mortgadged in the yeare 1640 by the sd. Donogh to Richard late Earle of Corke (as wee are informed)' (ibid.). Listed in 1698 as the 'manor Court of Castletowne Arra' which was the property recovered by the Right Honourable Charles, Earl of Corke and Burlington, Roger Power Esq. demised, and James Salmon, gent. listed as tenant (Anon. 1869, 73). A large three-storey rectangular block (ext. dims. 13.35m E-W; 6.5m N-S; wall T 1.75m) orientated on an E-W axis with a nineteenth-century house added to the SE angle. There are two main ground-floor entrances, both of which are blocked, one in the centre of the S wall consisting of a two-centred arch with punch-dressed chamfered jambs with horizontal tooling across the face of the jambs and the second doorway with two-centred arch is located at the N end of the E gable. A first-floor doorway is inserted into the centre of the S wall with external stone stairs, probably added in the nineteenth century. The ground floor is partially destroyed with a barrel vault surviving over the W and later, probably nineteenth century, alterations to the E. There is good evidence of wicker centring on the underside of the barrel vault. All upper floors were wooden carried on stone corbels. A partially destroyed fireplace occupies the centre of the N wall at first-floor level with a well-preserved fireplace at the W end of the N wall at second-floor level. A tall rectangular chimney stack protrudes from the top of the N wall. The doorway arch forms, along with the stone dressing on the jambstones, indicates a seventeenth-century date for construction of this large fortified house. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 4 August 2022