What is recorded here

Two carved heads still brace the first floor of Carntown towerhouse, one a hairy man pulling his own mouth open with tiny back arms, the other a calm cowled woman with protruding eyes. They are not decoration in the proud sense; they are corbels, doing brutal useful work while wearing faces that seem to watch the room breathe.

Used as corbels to carry wooden beams for the first floor of Carntown towerhouse (LH021-045001-). One is a mouth-puller with a hairy human-like face and markedly protruding eyes. Small arms extend from the back of the head. All the fingers, except for the thumb which is upright, are used to pull the mouth wide open and expose the teeth. The other (LH021-045003-) appears to be the face of woman with cowl-like garment around it. It also has protruding eyes, a long pronounced nose and an unsmiling plain mouth. The above description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 17 July 2007

Likely dating to the late medieval period, these stone corbels may reflect local traditions of protective or symbolic carvings, possibly influenced by earlier folklore or beliefs in spirit guardians. The "mouth-puller" face may represent a supernatural being intended to ward off evil.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.