Coolbane Castle (in ruins) — Loughlohery

On an E-facing slope, just off the crest of a ridge. Loughlohery Castle, a tower house (TS082-004----), is clearly visible c.200m to NW. According to the landowner the castle was knocked some fifty years ago in the 1940s and the stone was carried off. There are some stone foundations visible, but the area is largely covered by scrub, with some limestone rubble lying on the surface. The field boundaries have changed since the 1907 OS, and the N edge of the site is cut by a field boundary running E-W. Approx. 1.2m S of the field boundary there is a small clump of mortared masonry 0.7m x 0.5m. In the Civil Survey 1654-56 Robert Mageon of Loghlochry Gent. and Irish Papist is described as proprietor and 'Upon the sd lands of Loghlochrybegg stands the walls of another burned castle' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 358). The OS Letters erroneously refer to Coolbane Castle as Loughloghre Keating Castle and appear to have mixed up the E wall with the W wall. It is described as a ruined building with only the E wall and portion of the N and S wall surviving, 'The east wall is about fifty feet high [15.24m] and has a stone chimney on its top and is rough cast outside. It is plastered inside, where it measures forty feet [12m] in length. The portion of the south wall attached to it projects beyond its bare surface to west but five feet [1.5m], and is five feet ten inches [1.75m] in thickness, retaining the original height or nearly so. The portion of the north wall attached to it measures thirty five feet [10.66] in length, seven feet [2.13m] in thickness and remains the original height. Part of a stone arch on which a floor rested at a considerable height in the building remains still attached to east and north walls, and under the place are seen in the walls the places of joists which were fixed in them for supporting a loft' (O'Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 137). The tower house was inspected in 1934 and appears to have remained unchanged since the OS survey. It is described as a 'three storey type with rough stone vault over the second storey'. In the accompanying plan and sketch drawings there are two flat-headed windows in the W wall [ext. L 34'6-inch/10.5m] at ground floor level with internal and external splays. There is a garderobe chute in the SW angle which exited at the W end of the S wall. The S wall [ext. L 26'6-inch/8m] has an internal embrasure. There appears to be a wall projecting externally from the W end of the N wall, possibly the remains of the bawn wall. There is a flat-headed window with hood-moulding at third floor level in the W wall which is surmounted by a tall chimney stack. The sketches appear to indicate the remains of a bartizan at the SW angle, only the corbel support surviving (OPW files, Williams J.H. 11/7/1934). Based on this report Leask dated the tower house to the 16th or early 17th century (OPW files, 13/7/1934). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011