Kilcash Castle (in ruins) — Kilcash

On a break of a S-facing slope in undulating terrain, surrounded by pasture. Slievenamon rises to N. A church (TS078-036001-) lies c. 130m to W. Kilcash was in de Valle (Wall) possession from the early 14th century but passed to the Earl of Ormond between 1538 and 1545. The manor of Kilcash is mentioned in a will dated 1545 of James Butler, the 9th Earl of Ormond (Flood & Flood 1999, 37). It was 'one of the chief strongholds of the Ormond Butlers [and became] the seat of a junior branch of the family from 1639-1758' (Bence-Jones 1988, 298). The Civil Survey (1654-6) records at Kilcash a 'Castle and dwelling-house the roofe and lofts whereof are burnt and a Bawne with divers thatcht cabbins' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 271). In the Hearth Money Records of 1665-7 Richard Butler of Kilcash is taxed for three fireplaces and in 1677 there is a reference to his 'mansion house of Kilcash' (Flood & Flood 1999, 47). In the late 18th century 'the great hall of the house is described as hanging with paintings and the park was well stocked with deer' (ibid. 76). In 1758 John Butler of Kilcash 'became de jure 15th Earl of Ormonde. The Castle afterwards fell into decay' (Bence-Jones 1988, 298). Walter Butler 18th Earl of of Ormonde “sold the materials of Kilcash 'for a trifling consideration' to a merchant from Carrick-on-Suir called James Power c.1800 (ibid. 78). This five-storey tower house (ext. dims. 13.1m N-S; 9.55m E-W; W wall T 1.93m) with gabled roof is constructed of roughly coursed sandstone rubble, with a slight base-batter (H 1.4-1.95; Wth 0.15). All floors were wooden and no longer survive. There is good survival of ext. render, and remains of a plaster string-course on the N face consisting of a zig-zag pattern with two rows of parallel horizontal incised lines. The interior was modified in the 17th century when a two-storey house with attic was built against the W wall of the tower house. A building has also been built up against the E end of the N wall, evidenced by its internal plaster remains and the removal of masonry on the tower house to enable the later building to be tied in. Externally, the tower house is defined at parapet level by a machicolation above the entrance doorway and by angle machicolations on the NW and SE angles. The tower house is entered through a doorway in the W wall into a small lobby with a murder-hole overhead, now blocked by a stone. Off this lobby to the S is a small vaulted guard room with a blocked-up gun-loop in the W wall, protecting the entrance, and a small wall-cupboard in the S wall. The N wall of the entrance lobby has been altered, a straight-joint visible in the wall probably the remains of a blocked up doorway which led to an L-shaped mural passage to the spiral stairs in the NE angle. This passage, which was lit by a window at the W end of the N wall, has been partially blocked and is now entered through a broken-out doorway in the N wall of the main ground-floor chamber. Internally, the E wall of the main ground-floor chamber has no visible features, but three horizontal windows seen externally suggest that embrasures have been blocked. In the S wall there is a segmental-headed niche, possibly a window embrasure with the window blocked up both internally and externally. A later flue has been cut into the back of the niche on the E side. There is a wall cupboard in the E wall. All upper levels were entered through pointed doorways from the spiral stairs. The window lights and gun-loops in the stairs have either been blocked up or broken out. The first-floor wooden floor was supported by offsets on the N, S and W walls, with a beam-hole also visible at the N end of the E wall, but all other floors were supported on paired corbels on the E and W walls. The first floor was lit by three windows, all now blocked, in the N, E and S walls. The S window embrasure also contains a small embrasure for a gun-loop. There is a large fireplace in the W wall, with partial survival of polished limestone surrounds, and a niche providing access to the murder-hole. Towards the N end of this wall, at a slightly higher level than the large fireplace, is a small fireplace but its surround is missing. Doorways at the S and N end of the W wall lead to mural chambers in the SW and NW angles respectively. The second floor was lit by four windows, one each in the N and Swalls and two in the E wall. Only the N window, a flat-headed two-light with external hood-moulding and an oculus in the E wall, survives. This chamber appears to have been partitioned internally, evidenced by the location of two polished limestone fireplaces in the W wall, one on either side of a beam-hole. Doorways at the N and S end of the W wall lead to mural chambers in the NW and SW angles respectively. The outer wall associated with the latter doorway was broken out in the 17th century to provide access to the adjoining house. The third-floor plan is almost identical to the second floor, with mural chambers in the NW and SW angles, but the main chamber does not appear to have been divided and there is only one fireplace in the W wall. This room was lit by a two-light window in the N wall and a three-light window in both the E and S walls, as well as an oculus toward the N end of the E wall. The fourth floor is at attic level. It was lit by two windows, in the N and S gables, and an oculus at the N end of the E wall. There is an elaborate polished limestone fireplace in the N wall with lamp-brackets on either side of the lintel. From the fourth floor the spiral stairs continues to parapet level. The top of the stairs is protected by a caphouse which gives access to the wall-walk. Only the lower portion of the parapet survives. Three tall chimney stacks rest on the W wall, with a gun-loop in the parapet between the stacks. National Monument no. 654 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011