What is recorded here

Yellow Julia of the knives may have commanded the rectangular fort during the seventeenth century, though local story rather than proven fact gives her the castle. The broad structure, nearly twice as long as it is wide, suggests a fortified house where outlaws lived instead of a narrow tower for one proud family. Farmyard walls and new openings have buried much of that danger, but the old bones still hold the shape of a woman who refused to be forgotten.

Incorporated into farmyard buildings parts of ground and 1st floor walls of rectangular building (int. 18.5m N-S; 6.18m E-W) which has been heavily modified at various stages. Door and window opes all of recent appearance except possibly slit ope near W end of N wall at ground level. Size of structure suggests 17th century fortified house rather than tower-house. Little is known of sites' history which may have been a Barry stronghold (Healy 1988, 434); according to Power (1923, 172) 'locally believed to have been occupied, in the seventeenth century, by the female leader of a band of outlaws', hence 'caisleán bhuidhe na scian' - yellow Julia of the knives' castle. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009

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