Castle (in ruins) — Ballynoran

On a natural rise near summit of a hill in undulating terrain overlooking the Suir river valley. Also known as Ardcollum, possibly originally belonging to the Wall family (COD VI, 6). In 1542 it was garrisoned by Sir Thomas Butler of Cahir (COD IV, 212), but later taken back by the Earl of Ormond. Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as 'a small castle wanting repaire' (Simington 1931, vol. 1, 269). The Earl of Ormond is listed as the proprietor in 1640 (ibid.). This four-storey tower house (ext. dims. 9.6m N-S; 11.2m E-W; int. dims. N-S 5.3m; E-W 7.15m; wall T 2.06m) with high base-batter (H 4.1m; T c.0.4m) is built of limestone rubble, roughly coursed, with some sandstone used around opes and embrasures and also as quoins. Barrel-vaults are over the ground and second floors. It was entered through a broken-out doorway at the E end of the S wall which was defended at parapet level by a machicolation, though only the corbel supports survive. The doorway leads into a lobby area protected by a murder-hole accessed from the mural chamber above, but the floor of this chamber has collapsed leaving only the E side of the murder hole remaining. The internal doorway and partition wall to the ground floor chamber do not survive. Upper floors are accessed from the mural stair in the S wall leading to a spiral stair in the SW angle. The ground floor was lit by three windows, in the N, E and W walls, all largely destroyed. That in the W wall has been broken out to form a doorway. Internally the N wall of the E window embrasure provides access to a mural stair leading up to a lintelled chamber with a wall cupboard, lit by two flat-headed windows. The first floor was lit by a central single-light window in each wall, flat-headed in the W, ogee-headed in the N and E, the S window broken out. A doorway at the N end of the W wall accesses a small L-shaped garderobe chamber lit by a flat-headed ope with slop-stone beneath the sill. There is another slop-stone beneath the sill of the N window in the main chamber. A broken-out fireplace is W of centre in the N wall. The mural chamber in the S wall, which contains the murder-hole in its floor, is accessed via descending mural stairs from the main spiral stairs at first-floor level. The second floor is entered via a small lobby area from the spiral stairs. This lobby area also contains a mural stair which leads to a small mural chamber in the S wall. The main second-floor chamber is lit by single-light ogee-headed window in the E wall. Between second and third-floor level a flat-headed doorway from the spiral stairs gives access to a narrow L-shaped garderobe chamber in the W wall. This chamber is lit by a cross-loop and an angle-loop in the NW angle. The spiral stairs is lit by flat-headed opes, one between the second and third floor containing a slop-stone beneath its sill. The third floor is entered from the spiral stairs. It is lit by a small single-light at the W end and a two-light window at the E end of the NB wall, a two-light window in the E wall, a single-light ogee in the W wall and a broken-out window in the S wall. It also has several wall-cupboards and a slop-stone beneath the N window sill. A possible fireplace central in the N wall is evidenced where internal masonry has broken away revealing the flue from the first-floor fireplace. An internal overhang at the top of the E wall consists of a triple-arched blind arcade supported on chamfered corbels. A pointed doorway in the S end of the W wall gives access to a mural chamber. Another doorway at the N end of the W wall gives access to a small lobby area which leads via a spiral stair up to parapet level, which is no longer extant. In the small lobby there is a large slop-stone inserted into the wall thickness. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011