Site of Ballinaclogh Castle — Ballinaclogh (rathlynin Par.)

On a rise of ground which falls away gradually, giving good views in every direction, in pasture. There are a lot of well preserved earthworks (TS060-040002-) to the N of the tower house, including rectangular and square structures with substantial stone walls, grassed over. According to the Ormond Deeds, it was originally owned by the Burkes (Marnane 2003, 223). In the Civil Survey (1654-6) 'Ballynaclohy' is described as having 'a stumpe of a castle wanting repayre' which in 1640 was under the proprietorship of 'Barnaby Earle of Thomond' (Simington 1934, vol. 2, 8). A circular tower house (diam. 7.6m) constructed of roughly coursed limestone, with roughly square interior (int. dims. 3.63m N-S; 3.8m E-W), it survives to second-floor level. There is an external base-batter (H 2.04m; Wth 0.4m) and evidence of external harling. The S face is heavily ivy-clad. There is good survival of lime render in the interior. The tower house is entered through a pointed doorway in the N face, which has an external buttress on either side which tapers towards the top. It is likely that there were steps up to the entrance as the base of the doorway is 0.45m above external ground level. There is a gun-loop in the E jamb of the doorway. The doorway leads to a lobby which was defended overhead by a murder-hole. From the lobby a doorway to S, opposite the main doorway, gives access to the ground-floor chamber, while a doorway to the E leads to a mural stairs. The ground-floor chamber was lit by a window in the E wall, now broken out. The ground-floor interior is strewn with rubble. There are four large beam-holes in the E wall but only one corresponding beam-hole in the W wall at the N end. These, together with square masonry supports projecting from the NW and SE corners, appear to have supported the timber first floor. The main chamber to the first floor was entered through a pointed doorway from the stairs in the E wall. This chamber was lit by a window, now broken out, in the S wall. There is a fireplace N of centre in the W wall. A doorway in the N wall led to a mural chamber over the entrance lobby which is lit by an ogee-headed single light in the N wall with a gun-loop below the sill. The wooden floor at second-floor level was supported on an offset in the W wall, a beam-hole at the N end of the W wall, a squinch in the SE corner and also the internal wall of the first-floor mural chamber. The doorway to the second-floor level is in the SE angle, over a squinch. It was lit by a window at the W end of the S wall. There appears to be a fireplace S of centre in the W wall. A tall, rectangular chimney stack rises above the W wall at second-floor level. There are several gun-loops opening off the stairs, including a double gun-loop opposite the doorway to the first-floor chamber and one with an unusual ogee-headed opening. Incorporated in this tower house are several re-used architectural fragments, including a jamb in the ground-floor chamber doorway and a chamfered sill or lintel at the base of the NE squinch at first-floor level, which would indicate that there was an earlier phase of building or an earlier building at this location. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011