Clare Castle (in ruins) — Clare Beg

On low-lying flat island in the River Anner with good views along the Anner valley floor to N and S and dominated by Slievenamon to the SE. The Ormond Deeds record that between 1199 and 1206 Roger de Worcester restored Clare Beg, referred to as Clariargala, to his brother Philip’ (COD vol. 1, 9). The rents of service for the Baronies of Kilteven [Kiltinan] and Knockgraffon in 1308-09 state that, ‘Clariarille [Clare Beg] is held by service of xxs. per annum and does suit at the court [of Kyltewnan] every fortnight’ (COD vol. 1, 163). Cairns (1987, 34) mentions a reference to the castle at Clare in 1358-9 (Rot. pat. Hib. p.73). In 1402-04 the Court roll of the Liberty of Tipperary held in Clonmel heard that, ‘William Ruagh McMayo and John son of Rohert Mauncell with their following on Tuesday next after the feast of SS. Philip and James in the 3rd year of King Henry at Clare came to William son of John Bermingham and took him as a hostage’ (COD vol. 2, 258). The lower portion of a 13th/early 14th century hall-house survives as a rectangular building (int. dims. 9.6m NE-SW; 6.9m NW-SE) constructed of roughly coursed limestone rubble (wall T 1.15m) with a base-batter (Wth 0.35m; H 1.4m) and crudely cut quoins. The fabric of the hall-house is visible at first-floor level in the NW wall where there is a trefoil-headed sandstone window 13th/early 14th century in date and at first-floor level at the W end of the SW wall where there is a blocked up opening. The original masonry also survives in the rest of the SW wall and in the SE wall up to the top of ground-floor level. There appear to have been no original openings at ground-floor level. The NW end of the NE wall and the NE end of the NW wall do not survive. In the 17th century the hall-house was converted into a fortified house (TS070-083003-). At this stage crude windows were broken through the SE wall at ground-floor level and a fireplace was inserted at the SW end of the NW wall, blocking up the earlier trefoil-headed window. The upper floors were also added at this later building phase. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of revised upload: 26 November 2014