The Garrison — Ballyherberry

In low-lying terrain in a river valley. The land rises to the W and SW and an E ridge runs roughly N-S. According to the Civil Survey in 1640 there was a 'Castle & Bawne' in Ballyherbery and 'Phillip Hackett' is listed as the proprietor (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 218). A small stream runs along the N and E sides of the external base of the bawn. The bawn (ext. dims 38.9m N-S; 45.1m E-W) is constructed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed (ext. H 5m; wall T 1.15-1.25m). The external face is roughly harled with a pebble dash. The E wall has an external base-batter (H 1.4m; Wth 0.15m). A tower house (TS061-047001-) was located in the SW angle of the bawn. The bawn is well preserved along most of the N wall except the W end, most of the E wall except the S end and most of the W wall. The S wall is the most damaged, particularly the E half which has largely collapsed. There are several defensive loops surviving where the wall survives, with the best examples being at the N end of the W wall and in the NE angle. The embrasures are mostly 1.4m above the internal ground level and contain a single crude narrow loop (average Wth 0.08m; H 0.6-0.7m). In the SW angle the bawn has an inner and outer 'skin' which corresponds with a strenghtening of the wall for the tower house which was incorporated into this angle. On the 1st (1840) OS 6-inch map the bawn is depicted with several buildings in the interior, an L-shaped building occupies the SW angle extending along the W and S wall, another building extends N-S from the S wall and another smaller L-shaped building is shown extending southward from mid-way along the E wall of the bawn. The bawn is divided internally by a wall running E-W. The latter L-shaped building is the only upstanding building surviving. It is of 18th/19th date and appears to have been extended post 1840 by filling in the 'L' to form a roughly square building. The OS Letters describe 'an old bawn within which, near the southwest corner, stood a castle which is now destroyed' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol.1, 108). The original entrance into the bawn does not survive, though roughly mid-way along the S wall the W embrasure of an entrance pier survives, though this may be later in date. There is an entrance roughly mid-way along the W wall which appears to be of 18th/19th date and there are round 18th/19th century gate piers within the bawn in the SE quadrant. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011