Castle, Kilcolman, Co. Tipperary

Co. Tipperary |

Tower Houses

Castle, Kilcolman, Co. Tipperary

Perched on elevated ground in County Tipperary's uplands, the ruins of Kilcolman Castle command sweeping views across the surrounding countryside.

This ivy-clad tower house, dating from medieval times, was recorded in the Civil Survey of 1654-6 as 'a castle with a Barbicon and five thacht Tennements'. The survey also notes its Irish Catholic proprietors, including Mortagh O'Brien of Kilcolman and several members of the O'Hogan family from nearby townlands, providing a glimpse into the complex landownership patterns of 17th-century Ireland.

The tower house itself is a substantial structure, measuring approximately 7.75 metres north to south and 5.85 metres east to west, with walls nearly a metre thick. Built from roughly coursed sandstone rubble with a slight base batter, the building originally stood four storeys high, though only the north, south and west walls survive today. The eastern wall has completely vanished, leaving the structure open to a 19th-century courtyard and the big house that was later constructed immediately adjacent. Inside, traces of whitewashed surfaces remain visible, whilst the second floor shows evidence of a destroyed barrel vault. Single-light windows with chamfered sandstone jambs pierce the north and south walls at ground level, set into flat-headed embrasures that still display their original wicker centring.

When the Ordnance Survey visited in the 19th century, they found the tower still roofed with timber and slate, complete with a wall-walk that has since been destroyed. They documented a blocked main doorway in the centre of the west wall with a defensive machicolation positioned directly above it. Today, visitors can still spot the drain-holes with drip-stones projecting from the top of the tower, whilst later additions include doorways inserted into the north wall; one flat-headed at ground level and another pointed arch at first-floor level. Remnants of what may be the original bawn wall can be traced at the southeast and northeast corners, though these have been heavily altered during the 19th century. Just north of the tower, a natural spring known as 'the Castle Well' remains enclosed within its drystone walls, a reminder of the practical considerations that guided the castle's original placement on this commanding site.

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