Balief Castle

On the summit of a low hill in an area of rolling pastureland. This belonged to the Shortalls of Ballylarkin, held of the Earl of Ormond, and was forfeited by them in 1653 when they were transplanted to Connacht (OPW topographical files). A four-storey circular tower house (int. diam. 4-5m; ext. diam. 9m; wall T c. 2m) of roughly coursed limestone rubble, with a base-batter. The tower house is in good condition, though some of the internal facing is broken out in the S at first-floor level and in the NW at second-floor level. There are two vertical cracks visible externally, one S of the main entrance from first-floor level upwards and one in the SW face running from the ground up to parapet level. The first and second floor had wooden floors, the third floor is carried on the domed vault over the second floor. A garderobe was located at the NE, the exit has been blocked up and the chute (Wth 0.9m) is exposed at ground floor level where the inner face is missing.

There is a pointed doorway at ground-floor level facing W, with a chamfered cut-limestone surround and a yett-hole on either side. The entrance lobby is protected by a murder-hole which is accessed at third floor level from the W window embrasure. A doorway opposite the entrance gave access to the ground-floor chamber. This was lit by three narrow single-light windows in N, E and S faces respectively, of which only the window in the N face survives. Both the E and S windows and their embrasures were broken through in more recent times and the external face of the E one was repaired with brick. Surviving embrasures (Wth 1.8m, D 1.2m, H 1.65m) are deep and straight-sided with depressed heads. There is a wall cupboard (dims. 0.65m x 0.6m; D 0.6m) in the SW face.

To the N of the entrance lobby there is a mural stair (Wth 0.95m) which gives access to the upper levels. A short section between the second and third floor has collapsed. The stair is lit by narrow loops, with that between the ground and first floor being a stirrup-loop with a sloping base. There is also a small cross-loop at third-floor level with a slop-stone beneath.

The doorway giving access to the first floor has been blocked up. This floor is lit by flat-headed single-light windows at SE and SW, both set into wide, deep, straight-sided embrasures similar to those at ground-floor level. As at ground level, the soffits of the embrasures bear impressions of wicker-centring. In the embrasure wall, on either side of the SE window, there is smaller embrasure which gives access to a rectangular gun-loop. These are visible externally, c. 1m from the window, on either side.

The second floor has a domed vault. Only the flat lintel of doorway from the stair to this level remains. Surviving fenestration includes a round-headed single-light window set into a small straight-sided rectangular embrasure.

The third floor is accessed via a pointed doorway from the stair. Part of the wall of the third-floor chamber overlooking the stair has collapsed, it has a straight side which suggests that it may have contained an embrasure with a gun-loop. The third-floor chamber is lit by two-light ogee-headed windows at the NE and SE and a third broken out window at the W. Accessed from the S side of the W window embrasure is a small mural recess, lit by a loop. In the floor of this recess there is a rectangular opening, with a rebate for a wooden trap door. This gave access to an oubliette, the chamber of which is visible below the vault where the inner facing of the chamber is broken out. The third floor has a broken out fireplace in the ESE, with a high rectangular chimney stack at parapet level.

Also at third-floor level, accessed from the spiral stair, there is a small mural chamber, lit by a cross-loop facing N. This seems the likely location for the garderobe, though the floor of the chamber is currently obscured by vegetal debris. The parapet has a plain projecting string course at its base, with drainage holes immediately above. Though much of the parapet does not survive, there are the remains of three machicolations, over the main entrance at W, and at the NNE and SSE.

The presence of gun-loops suggest that this tower house dates to the latter half of the 16th century.