Ardmayle Castle (in Ruins) — Ardmayle

On a platform on a break of a W-facing slope. The River Suir flows NE-SW 50m to the NW, in undulating pastureland. An earthwork 'Forte Edward' (TS052-034001-) is clearly visible c. 200m to the ESE. A large rectangular bawn (dims. c. 120m N-S; c. 50m E-W) of limestone rubble roughly coursed with a fortified house (TS052-034011-) roughly centrally placed in the interior (20.7m from the W side of the bawn and 14m from the E side of the bawn) on an earthen platform defined by scarp which runs E-W 31.2m N of the fortified house and curves southward 8.8m E of the house. The E wall (max. H 3.65m; T 0.8m) is the best preserved, towards the N end there is a entrance (Wth 2.92m) with piers that project internally (N pier Wth 0.98m; D 0.23m; S pier Wth 0.81m), though there is no draw-bar hole. On the S side of the entrance, in the interior, there is evidence of an internal structure (ext. dims. 6.55m N-S; wall T 0.64m), possibly a guard-house. The southern portion of the W wall (max. H c. 4m; T c. 1-1.4m) is the best preserved, with an entrance opposite the fortified house towards the river. The S side is broken out, the present gap is 4.2m wide, approximately a metre wider than the original entrance, as the draw-bar hole (Wth 0.16m; H 0.17m) on the N side is 3.15m deep. S of this by 15.7m and approx. 18m from the SW angle, there are internal steps, broken out, in the thickness of the wall probably giving access to a wall-walk. At the S end of the W wall there is evidence of later buildings built up against the external face of the wall, with inserted fireplaces and chimney flues. Only 4.5m of the W wall survives N of the entrance, ending in an internally splaying embrasure, probably for a gun-loop. Sections of the S wall survive, including the SW angle but the NW angle is gone and a modern wall (L 8.5m) runs along the line of the eastern end of the S wall. A length (17.5m) of the western end of the N wall survives, elsewhere a modern wall has been built on the line of the eastern half of this bawn wall and the NW and NE angles do not survive. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011