What is recorded here

Two carved heads still sit in the farmyard at Ballykilmurry, pulled from a tower house that rose on an esker ridge above County Offaly. One wears a peaked cap and has bulging eyes, while the other is framed by long platted hair, perhaps a male pretending to be female or a woman rendered proud by her carver. The tower itself may have begun as an early medieval fort before seventeenth-century settlers refortified it and gave its walls these strange faces. They watched the south, east and west like stubborn judges, waiting for someone to tell them what they saw.

Situated on natural rock outcrop on an esker ridge with good extensive views to the S, E and W. The remains of an impressive tower house (OF016-011001-) constructed from coursed limestone blocks with a widely splayed base batter. There are two carved heads (OF016-011003/004-) now located in the farmyard of the castle, these two heads originally belonged to the nearby tower house. One of these heads is of a man with a peaked cap of possible 17th century style. He also has bulging eyes with a protruding nose and vertical lines on his chin to represent a beard. The other head is of a possible female with long platted head surrounding her face which is badly destroyed. On further examination the head with the cap may be that of a male while the possible female could be that of a male with elaborate hairstyle from the time of Queen Elizabeth I (d. 1603). This tower house appears to be an early medieval fortification which was later refortified in the 17th century by new settlers in the area who may have inserted the two sculpted heads. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of revision: 22 April 2009

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