Castle — Dunegan

Situated at the NE end of a long, steep-sided, narrow-topped ridge (106m/349ft OD) running roughly E-W, with extensive views to N, E and W. Depicted on the 1654-7 Down Survey map of Ballyloughloe parish map as a tower house type structure with bawn wall running off one side of the castle, annotated 'Ruins A Castle with a large Bawne' (NLI, NS 723-4). Described in the terrier of the map as, ‘there stands in Dunegan the ruines of a large castle and a large Bawne’ (ibid). On this map the castle is shown standing on the lands of Hubbard Gawley who is listed as an 'Irish Papist'. Annotated ‘Dunegan Old Castle’ on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map and depicted as a long rectangular-shaped ruin (long-axis E-W). Depicted on the revised 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map as a L-shaped ruins forming the remains of the W gable and the return of the N and S walls, with a long linear structure running roughly N-S from the SW corner. According to Cox (1970, 6-7) the name Dunegan is an Anglicised version of Dun Thadgain or Thadgain’s Fort deriving from the person who is reputed to have lived on the mound during the 9th century. Cox (1972-3, 147-8, 156) recorded that the castle came into Hubert Magawly’s possession after the death of his father Awly before 20 May 1607 and that of his half-brother Christopher Magawly in 1609. Dunegan Castle remained a Magawly seat until Cromwellian times when it became home to a branch of the Homan family of Shurock until March 1826 when it was burned down (ibid). Dunegan Castle described as the upstanding remains of a rectangular-shaped building defined by the remains of the W gable and a short return of the N wall which stands to a height of about 6-7m. The remainder of the N wall and the line of the S wall can be traced as low, sod-covered banks of earth and stone, but the E foundations appear to have been dug away in antiquity. The thick walls are built of undressed and roughly coursed, mortar bonded rubble limestone. A rough plinth can be seen at the external base of both walls. The outer face of the SW and NW corners has been robbed, exposing a large breach into a garderobe chute, at the S end of the W gable. The remains of an arched recess on the interior of the N wall can be seen at ground level. There are two lintelled fireplaces at first and second floor levels of the W wall and the chimneys are partly surviving. There is a damaged recess in the SW corner with a plain rectangular window opening in the corner. There is no trace of barrel vaulting, cut or decorated stone. The sod-covered foundations of the S and W sides of a rectangular structure adjoin the exterior of the S wall. There are further foundations of rectangular structures to the SE, at the base of the ridge. These are partly defaced by old cultivation ridges running NE-SW. Monument is visible today as a ruinous building enclosed by woodland on Digital Globe aerial photography. Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien. Date of upload: 08 November 2019