|
BALLYBEG PRIORY, BUTTEVANT
Map Reference: R542078
The Augustinian priory at Ballybeg was founded about 1230. Little remains of the large church except for the lower part of
the tower. High up near the crossing are two good masks, one of which is hairy. The holes for the bell-ropes pass through
two other hairy masks. The more southerly of these appears to have horns. Two lancet windows in the west wall encroach slightly
on the crossing which is of later date. At the east end of the church are three stone coffins. A short distance to the west
is a three-storey tower, possibly residential. The site of the cloister may be seen to the south of the church where one corner
remains. A short distance to the south-east is a cylindrical two-storey tower. The lower level houses a magnificent columbarium
with an excellent corbelled roof and more than 300 roosts.
BARRYSCOURT
Map Reference: W823725
Barryscourt was the chief seat of the Barrymore family from about 1170 although the present buildings date from the 16th century.
It is a large tower-house with corner towers projecting beyond the main walls on two sides. At a third corner is a tower which
is almost completely detached. There is a squinch between this tower and the main building. Two of the corner towers project
beyond the wall with the entrance. They provided flanking cover to protect the doorway, which also had a musket loop to the
left and a murder-hole just inside. There are some good windows at the upper levels with defensive loops lower down. The ceiling
of the first floor room is vaulted. The upper floors are reached by a straight mural stairway. All three of the corner towers
have spiral stairways. In two of these the stairways rise to roof level and go down to smaller rooms. Some of these rooms
are L-shaped and some are rectangular. The large room above the vault has a fine fireplace dated 1588. Higher chambers may
be reached by the stairs in the corner towers. The roof walk is intact but interrupted by a chimney and the corner towers.
At roof level on the opposite side of the building is a room with a fine fireplace. This was the Earls bedroom. Beneath it
is a chapel, which has a fine east window, a small south window and a piscina. Surrounding the castle is a bawn with the remains
of three round corner towers.
CAHERVAGLIAR STONE FORT
Map Reference: W313605
Cahervagliar Fort, in Cappeen West townland, is a large fort
about 35m diameter with a good bank and two outer banks and ditches. The inner bank is of earth and stone and features a well-defined
gateway of stone in the north-east. This is about 7m deep and 2m high and wide. A number of large stones just outside may
be lintels. Just inside to the left is a horseshoe-shaped cairn which may be a ruined clochan.
CASTLELYONS FRIARY
Map Reference: W840930
Castlelyons Dominican Friary was founded in 1307 by John de Barry
for the Carmelite Friars and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The present ruins probably date from the 15th century.
The very fine west doorway is surmounted by a two-light window with ogee heads and a good square hood mould. Only the western
portion of the church, apart from the tower, stands to any height. There appears to have been a very large east window but
only one edge of it remains. The east wall of the tower is missing. A spiral stairway rises at the NW corner of the tower.
Within the eastern section of the church are several trapezoidal coffin lids. Some of them have floreated crosses and raised
inscriptions. The cloister lies to the south of the church and is bounded by buildings along the east and west sides. After
the Reformation the friary was granted to the Earl of Cork who gave it to his daughter Alice. The friars remained associated
with the site during Penal times and the last titular Carmelite Prior, John O Neile, died in 1760.
CASTLEMARTYR MARKET HOUSE
Map Reference: W962732
Castlemartyr Market House is
a two-storey three-bay building now used as a car showroom. There is a rectangular plaque above the central window at roof
level and a chimney on the east gable. The single storey extension to the rear is now ruinous.
CASTLENALACT STONE ROW
Map Reference: W486607
In Castlenalact there is a row of four standing stones. It is 13.4m long and aligned NE-SW. The tallest stone is 3.4m high,
the next is 2.5m high and the remaining stones 1.9m high. A fifth stone lies beside the stone but it is of different material.
It is probably part of field clearance. About 300m to the north is another stone. It is a red sandstone slab 1.6m high and
1.8m wide.
CHARLES' FORT, KINSALE
Map Reference: W654494
Charles' Fort, Kinsale, in Forthill townland, was built about 1680
on the site of Ringcurran Castle. It was designed by William Robinson. However, because it was overlooked on the landward
side, it was surrendered to the Williamite forces in 1690 after a siege of 13 days. There is a fine 18th century gateway which
replaced the original gateway which was destroyed in the 1690 siege. It is a massive artillery fort with five bastions. These
are (clockwise from the gatehouse) Flagstaff Bastion, East or Cockpit Bastion, Charles' Bastion, Devil's Bastion and North
Bastion. The walls of the bastions are at least 6m thick at the top. Opposite the sally port near Devils Bastion is a gunpowder
store. This a small rectangular room, with a double brick cavity wall, set within the stone wall. In the event of an explosion
the blast would pulverise the inner brick wall and much of the force would be dissipated. The remaining force would then pulverise
the outer brick wall. By the time the force reached the outer rigid stone wall it was so small that no damage would be caused.
Inside the fort, to the right of the gate, are three octagonal brick-built structures. These were constructed to support water
tanks. Further along on the right is a very fine two-storey building with a good doorway. This was the barrack stores
and originally the residence of the Commander. It is now an exhibition centre. The series of roofless buildings along the
southerly wall were the married soldiers quarters. A strong, high wall divides the interior of the fort. This is a blast wall
and the magazine beside it is a small rectangular building surrounded by a wall in which there are a number of brick-lined
defensive loops. The floor of this building was covered by wooden planks pinned down by wooden pegs. Any soldiers due to work
in the building had first to removed metal buckles and such, and dress in linen suits. This was to avoid the possibility of
sparks from static electricity. The Governor's residence is near the end of the blast wall. The hospital wards are along the
east wall and the soldiers quarters form a large open rectangle near the east side. Charles' Bastion has two very fine circular
gunpits. At the angle of some of the wall are small brick turrets. These are called guerites and are sentry boxes which give
a good field of view along the outside of the wall. Outside the walls of the fort there is a deep stone-lined moat and a massive
bank.
CHARLEVILLE MARKET HOUSE
Map Reference: R535228
The market house at Charleville is three-bay two-storey building with a pediment.
CLONAKILTY MARKET HOUSE
Map Reference: W386414
Clonakilty Market House, in Townies Upper townland, is a two-storey
four-bay building, with the central two bays breaking forward. The pediment, which was removed in 1953 when the building ceased
to be used as the Town Hall, has been replaced.
CLOYNE ROUND TOWER
Map Reference: W917677
Cloyne Round Tower, in Townparks (Cloyne) townland, has a square-headed
doorway and a castellated top. The top was modified in 1748 after the tower was damaged by a lightning strike. It stands 30m
high and has seven storeys with basement. There is a single square-headed window at each level except at the fifth floor which
has an angle-headed window and the top floor which has four windows. The doorway is about 3.5m above ground level and is now
reachable by an iron stair. The tower was used in the 19th century to hang the Cathedral bell. The Cathedral, on the
opposite side of the road, appears to date from the late 13th century, but has been extensively repaired and restored on at
least four occasions. An early monastery was founded here by St Colman Mac Lenen, who died around 600, but all its buildings
were burned in 1137.
COPPINGER'S COURT
Map Reference: W261359
Coppinger's Court, in Ballyvireen townland, is a rectangular building
aligned approximately NW-SE with a projecting wing in the middle of the westerly wall and two projecting wings at the ends
of the easterly wall. There are at least nine gables. Below the gables, for most of the wall, is a bartizan carried on corbels.
The windows are mostly three-light with mullions and square hood moulding but most of the worked stone at the doors and windows
has been removed. There is a good stringcourse at the level of the first floor windows and two sets of triple chimney pots
and one single. The main building is three storeys high plus attic. The kitchen appears to have been in an extension at the
NE corner where there is an oven. A low walled enclosure runs SE from the building. The house was built by Sir Walter Coppinger
in the early 17th century and was burned in 1641.
DROMBEG STONE CIRCLE
Map Reference: W247352
Drombeg Stone Circle is about 9m diameter. A line from the entrance
to the axial stone runs approximately NE-SW and through a dip in the horizon in the southwest. This suggests that the circle
may have some use in the observation of the setting sun. A flat stone lies just off the centre of the circle. There are 17
stones. The portal stones are the tallest being about 180cm high. The axial stone is about 90cm high by 2m long and 45cm thick.
On its upper surface are two shallow cup-marks, one surrounded by an oval carving. About 45m SW is a circular enclosure within
which is a circular well, a rectangular stone-lined cooking pit and a hearth. The enclosure is about 5m diameter and the pit
is about 1.5m by 1m. A short distance to the west is a pair of conjoined hut circles. The smaller hut has a hearth and is
about 3m diameter. The larger hut is about 5m diameter.
GLANWORTH CASTLE
Map Reference: R758040
Glanworth Castle has
an outer wall with three round flanking towers and one square flanker. Within the wall is a large rectangular building which
had a good base batter. The walls of this building are up to 1.5m thick. The interior is gutted but there are traces of an
internal dividing wall. The building is about three storeys high. There is no vault and no trace of a stairway. Close by is
a tall slim tower about five storeys high with one wall missing. There are vaults above the first and second floors. The upper
storeys are lit with small single light windows with ogee heads. At the base of the wall are the exits for two latrine
chutes. Attached to this tall building is a long low building which is vaulted above the ground floor. It appears to be some
form of gatehouse. The stonework in this building and in parts of the outer wall, including the square flanking tower,
is different to the stonework in the rest of the castle. This seems to indicate extensive modifications were carried out in
the past. The round flanking towers are two storeys high and show traces of a circular vault above the ground floor. The ground
floor rooms of these towers are lit by narrow defensive loops including cross-shaped loops.
GLANWORTH DOMINICAN PRIORY
To the north of the castle, on the Mitchelstown Road, is a long rectangular
church with a central tower. This is part of the Dominican priory founded in 1475 by the Roches, who also built the castle.
It has a five-light traceried east window and three two-light windows with ogee heads in the south wall. They are set within
pointed recesses. There is a credence table and piscina in the south wall and a small doorway in the north wall. There are
three small windows in the south wall at the west end and a large gap marks the position of the west window. There are good
roof weepers along the top of the north and south walls at the east end of the church.
INNISHANNON MARKET HOUSE
Map Reference: W551572
The market house in Innishannon, in Farnahoe townland, is a single-storey
sandstone structure. It has cut limestone quoins and cornice. There is a three-bay arcaded front with cut limestone keystones.
KILNARUANE CARVED PILLAR
Map Reference: V985475
The carved pillar at Kilnaruane, on the outskirts of Bantry, may
be the shaft of an early High Cross. The carvings include St Paul and St Anthony, ribbon and spiral interlace, and other figures.
The main panel on the SE face shows a boat with four oarsmen and a steersman, rowing through a sea of crosses. Two incisions
on the top of the stone indicate a missing attachment.
KINNEIGH ROUND TOWER
Map Reference: W327573
Kinneigh Round Tower, in Sleenoge townland, is unusual in that it
has a hexagonal base about 6m high and above that it is round. The tower is about 20m high and has five storeys plus basement.
The top storey has a modern cover and there is no evidence that the tower was any higher than it is now. Little is known of
the history of the monastery but the tower may have been erected at the beginning of the 11th century by St Mocholomog. The
square-headed doorway is in the east and is about 4m above ground level. There are a number of small square-headed windows
at different levels.
LABBACALLEE WEDGE TOMB
Map Reference: R772025
Labbacallee is a huge wedge tomb. It has a double burial chamber
covered by three large capstones. The side stones and the outer walling are almost complete. The space between is filled by
cairn material. Five flat stones project from the rear of the tomb and form 4 niches. There are some traces of a kerb
on the south side but all traces have been removed from the north.
MIDLETON MARKET HOUSE
Map Reference: W887735
Midleton Market House, in Townparks (Midleton) townland, is
a five-bay two-storey building topped by a cupola with a clock. It has a hipped roof with finials behind a parapet with cornice.
MITCHELSTOWN MARKET HOUSE
Mitchelstown Market House was built by George, Earl of Kingston in
1823. It is a 3 bay 2 storey building. The middle bay breaks forward and has a pediment.
TEMPLEBRYAN STANDING STONE
Map Reference: W387439
At Templebryan there is an enclosure within which is the low ruin
of a rectangular church. There are also two souterrains reported but these could not be located at this time. Beside the church
is a tall pillar about 3.3m high and 30cm thick. This pillar has an Ogham inscription and a faint incised cross, but these
could not be seen. At the base of the pillar is a very fine bullaun stone.
TIMOLEAGUE FRANCISCAN FRIARY
Map Reference: W472436
Timoleague Franciscan Friary is an extensive ruin. There is a long
church with a south transept. The nave has a south aisle of five bays and the transept has a west aisle of three bays. The
columns dividing the bays show a great variety. There are plain masonry divisions, round columns and elongated octagonal columns.
The transept has a small east chapel and a fine three-light south window. The west doorway of the nave is surmounted by a
small recess and a large two-light window. There is a tomb niche in the north wall of the nave and another in the north wall
of the chancel has fragments of a traceried hood. Mural passages in the east wall lead from the east window to a stairway
in the north wall and to a room above the sacristy. There is a tall thin central tower. It has no vault. The sacristy to the
north of the church contains a fine bullaun stone. A long two-storey building with a basement runs north from the sacristy.
The cloister lies to the north of the church. The cloister arcade is divided into three-light groups with possibly three groups
along each side. Only one corner has been reconstructed. The friary was founded in the early 14th century by Donal Glas MacCarthy
or William de Barry. The tower was built about 1500 by the Bishop of Ross.
TIMOLEAGUE MARKET HOUSE
Map Reference: W471437
Timoleague Market House has a five bay lower storey. The three central
bays are flanked by two shorter bays. The upper storey has three bays. There is a keystone labelled 1700.
|
