Strancally Castle (in ruins) — Strancally

Situated on rock outcrop at the W side of the N-S Blackwater River, the rock forcing the river to divert around it to the E. Strancally was the inheritance of John, the youngest son of Gerald Óg, the youngest son of the eight Earl of Desmond. In 1579 James Fitzjohn, the last Geraldine owner of the castle, joined the Desmond Rebellion and was executed (Redmnd 1885-6; O’Connell Redmond 1919, 21-4). In 1586 the castle was granted to Sir Walter Raleigh and by 1640 it was in the possession of John Gillard, although five years later it was besieged by Lord Castlehaven and ownership passed to the Earl of Cork (Simington 1942, 20). Strancally tower house (WA034-034----) is situated on a rock outcrop pinacle c. 30m from the river. A hall is associated with it on a lower ledge at the water’s edge. The hall is cut into the rock outcrop at W, but can be accesssed at the first floor from the top of the rock outcrop platform. It is of two floors (int. dims. 11.7m E-W; 7.2m N-S) and backs on to the rock face at W, with a chamber cut into the rock face at ground-floor level. There is a basement chamber (int. dims. 7.2m N-S; 2.2m E-W) with four lights under the E end of the hall which was presumably roofed in timber and entered by a trapdoor and stairs at its N end. There are five window embrasures, all destroyed, at ground-floor level, and a large pointed opening was inserted into the N wall which has destroyed the mural stairs to the first floor. A lintelled doorway (Wth 0.85m; H 1.36m) in the W wall leads into a rock-cut cave (int. dims. 5.2m N-S; 2.6m N-S; H 1.7-2.15m). The first floor was supported on corbels in the N and S walls and has evidence of seven windows, all destroyed. A tower, projecting to the N and W but now destroyed, is built on the rock outcrop surface at the NW angle of the hall. There is no evidence of fireplaces or garderobes in this building. O’Connell-Redmond, G. (1918) The castles of north-east Cork and near its borders. JCHAS 24, 1-6, 62-6, 93-103, 145-51. O’Flanagan, M. (Compiler) (1929) Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Waterford collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. Typescript. Bray. Redmond, G. (1885-6a) Notes on the history, antiquities, archaeoloical remains and legends connected with the western end of the county Waterford, JRSAI, 17, 394-405. Simington, R. C. (ed.) (1942) The Civil Survey AD 1654-1656, vi, the County of Waterford. Irish Manuscripts Commission. Dublin. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 06 October 2011