Castle (in ruins) — Ballynahow (ballycahill Par.)

National Monument No. 234. Located at the base of a gentle NE-facing slope on a flat plain. Described in the Civil Survey 1654-6 as 'a castle in repaire' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 63). Theobald Purcell is listed as proprietor in 1640 (ibid.). A round, four-storey with parapet, tower house (int. dim. 5.95m; ext. dim. 10.7m; wall T at base 3.1m) of late sixteenth-century date composed of roughly coursed limestone rubble with base-batter. The batter (H 2.5-3m; Wth 0.3m) rests on a stone plinth which protrudes out 0.12m. The garderobe exit is at SW. The windows at ground-floor level have an external splaying chamfer with punch tooling on the lintel and shot-holes on either side. The base-batter terminates on either side of the entrance. This is at E and consists of a pointed doorway with yett-holes on either side and a musket-hole below the S yett-hole. This leads to a lobby protected by a murder-hole. A guardroom, with good wicker centring, lies to the NW, with a cupboard in the back wall and a shot-hole. Directly in front of the main entrance there is a pointed doorway leading into the ground floor which has a rough, cobbled surface. Lights in the SE, SW and NW wall are set in deep straight-sided embrasures with shot-holes on either side. The first floor is entered through a pointed doorway at SE, and is lit by two flat-headed windows with accompanying gun loops. This floor has a dome vault overhead. Spiral stairs to the S of the main entrance serve all upper floors and mural chambers. A small mural chamber, between the first and second-floor levels has a murder-hole in the floor. It is lit by a flat-headed window in the centre of the NE wall with gun loops on either side and has a wall-cupboard at the end of the chamber. The second and subsequent floors have been squared internally. A central fireplace in the W wall of the second floor is decorated with rope-twist roll-moulding over the mantel. This chamber is lit by a single ogee-headed and two elliptical-headed windows with accompanying shot-holes. In the E wall of the NE embrasure there is a pointed doorway giving access to a small chamber lit by a single-light with square shot-holes on either side. A doorway in the S wall of the main chamber gives access to small garderobe chamber with a cruciform window and gun loop. The third floor rests on a timber floor carried on corbels in the E and W walls and has a barrel-vaulted roof. It is lit by flat-headed windows, one of which is blocked. Between the second and third floors there is a mural garderobe chamber entered from the spiral stairs. The chute is at the end of the chamber which is lit by a single-light and has two gun loops and a slop-stone. Just above third-floor level there is a pointed doorway giving access to a small wedge-shaped chamber supported on a wooden floor. It is lit by two single-lights, one with a slop-stone beneath the sill, and has a flat-vaulted roof with wicker centring. The fourth floor has a reconstructed joggle-jointed fireplace with chamfered surround in the S wall. It is lit by three two-light ogee-headed windows accompanied by gun loops. The NE window contains a doorway in the N embrasure giving access to a small chamber lit by a single-light and containing a trap-hole giving access to a secret chamber in the NE wall. The S embrasure also has a doorway - this gives access to the stairs to the attic and parapet and mural stairs in the E wall. There is a string course defining parapet level. It is drained by a series of spouts. Square chimneys on the S and W walls jut out onto the wall-walk. Machicolations occur at SE, SW, N and NE. Steps lead from the parapet to a platform behind the E gable. In the 1840s the lower part of the tower house was inhabited by 'a poor family' according to the OS Letters (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 3, 95-6). Detail plans and section have been published (Craig 1982, 105). 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. Date of upload/revision: 22 September 2008