What is recorded here

Ballykerin Castle stood atop a low rise in County Tipperary, offering clear views in every direction before men quarried its stones and levelled the field in 1971. William Butler owned the little old castle wanting repair in 1640, but human arrogance erased the walls that once framed the horizon. The grass now covers the yard and memory alike, turning a visible landmark into an absent idea.

Described in the Civil Survey (1654-6) as a 'little old castle wanting repaire, & a thatched house with fower or five cabbins' with William Butler of Ballykeryne listed as proprietor of the castle in 1640 (Simington 1931 , vol. 1, 131). In grassland atop low rise of ground in upland region with good views in all directions. No surface remains of levelled castle or settlement earthworks (TS055-027002-) in field around castle as indicated on the latest ed.OS 6-inch map. Field was reclaimed and farm road constructed in 1971 when the field was levelled as part of the land reclamation works. The castle is described in an earlier field report as being quarried away with the slightest suggestion of a yard with no coherent remains surviving (OPW report 1971). Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 26 August 2011

William Butler held Ballykerin Castle in 1640, and it was noted as a dilapidated structure in the 1654–5 Civil Survey. It is remembered as part of the historical record of lesser-known Irish castles during the 17th century.

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