Granagh Castle

On the N bank of the River Suir estuary, on ground sloping gradually to E, c. 4km NW of Waterford City. There are extensive views to the W, good views to the N and along the river to the E, though land rises gradually to E on N side of river bank. The view S across the river to hill slopes is limited. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 135-6), ‘Granny, Grannagh or Grenagh, was a manor from remote times. The Le Poers were its Lords till towards the close of the 14th century, when they were succeeded by the Earls of Ormond. On the 2nd Feb., 1375, the King (Edward III) granted to James, Earl of Ormond, and Elizabeth, his Countess, the manors of Dounbryn and Gronagh (Granny)’. The architectural features of the upstanding enclosure style castle suggest a 15th or 16th-century date of construction. Similarities with another Butler castle, that of Ormond Castle, Carrick-on-Suir which lies 18km to the NW, suggest they may have been part of the same building programme, built either c. 1450 under Edmund Mac Richard Butler (1420-1464), nephew of the 4th Earl of Ormond, James Butler or more likely c. 1500 under Piers Ruadh Butler (1464-1539), while managing the 7th Earl of Ormond, Thomas Butler’s lands (Fenlon 2008, 35). Grose (1791, 79) writes that, ‘In the civil wars [1649-53], it was strongly garrisoned for the King, and commanded by Captian Butler. Colonel Astel[l], the famous regicide, who was governor of Kilkenny, dispatched a party to reduce it, but they returned without accomplishing their orders; upon which, Axtel[l] himself marched out with two cannon, and summoned the castle to surrender, on pain of military execution. Without any hope of relief, it is no wonder they submitted, and were conducted to the nearest Irish quarters’. In the 17th century some remodelling of the castle appears to have taken place. The two three-light windows in the E wall of the NE tower appear to be inserted, partially utilising earlier embrasures as the off-centre relieving arches overhead suggest. The OS Letters (1839) note that in 1837 a new proprietor, George Roache, repaired the walls (O’Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 233-4 (74)).

The castle, constructed of limestone rubble roughly coursed, consists of a square bawn (KK005-043008-) with an outer bawn to the W. The buildings occupied the N wall of the bawn, with a rectangular tower house in the NE angle, a building with a circular tower at the NW angle and a hall between the two. The Down Survey (1655-6) Barony map of Iverk indicated six houses (KK043-034002- to KK043-034007-) in the immediate vicinity of the castle, none of which are now visible.

The five-storey tower (ext. dims. 11.9m N-S; 7.73m E-W) in the NE angle is quite well preserved, though the N half of the W wall and the W end of the E wall above ground floor level, has been completely rebuilt, probably in the 19th century. There is a rectangular garderobe projecting from the S end of the E wall (1.65m N-S x 2.14m E-W), the masonry curving externally curving where it meets the tower on the W side. The garderobe turret rises from the bawn wall and continues up to the top of third-floor level where the remains of its roofing are visible as coping stones projecting from the wall. Tie stones projecting from the S face of the garderobe c. 1m above the bawn wall appear to be part of a base buttress which is indicated on Hooper’s drawing of 1791 (Grosse 1791, vol. 2, pl. 31). The garderobe chute (Wth 1.38m) exits at or just above ground level in the E face of the bawn wall. The NE angle of the NE tower is chamfered from first floor upwards, the lower portion from first to base of second floor has well-cut limestone blocks, while that above consists of rubble limestone. Within this chamfer there is a cross gun-loop with stirrup base at first-floor level. The original entrance to this tower does not survive. There are two vaulted chambers at ground level, the N chamber (int. dims. 3.28m N-S; 6.3m E-W) is entered through an inserted flat-headed doorway in the E wall and the S chamber (int. dims. 3.35m N-S; 3.7m E-W; H 2.8m) through a segmental-headed doorway in the reconstructed S wall. On Hooper’s drawing a cross-loop is shown roughly where the flat-headed doorway has been inserted (ibid.). The S chamber was lit by a window in the E wall within a deep segmental-headed embrasure, this window was broken out and subsequently blocked up, only the N jambs are visible externally. In the NE angle of the N chamber a spiral stair rises, it continues up to parapet level, lit by loops, however, the treads have been broken out from the first floor up. The second, third and fourth floor had wooden floors supported on corbels projecting from the E and W walls. None of these floors are accessible. The SE angle of the interior between first and third-floor level is obscured internally by ivy. At first-floor level the spiral stair has been broken out and the entrance arrangement to the first floor has been altered, providing a small lobby area off the spiral stair with an unusually steeply-angled Tudor arch, now blocked internally. The first floor was lit by an elliptical-headed single light and a two-light moulded depressed ogee-headed window in the E wall, the latter, which is now blocked up internally, has decorated spandrels and is recessed within an external moulded frame. There is a broken out fireplace at the E end of the S wall. A flat-headed door embrasure has been inserted at the S end of the W wall ((H 2.07m; Wth 1.29). The second floor was originally entered from the spiral stair but this has been broken out and blocked up, with only the voussoirs surviving. The chamber was lit by three-light flat-headed window in the E wall and a depressed ogee-headed single light window at the W end of the S wall. The E window, which is blocked up internally, has an external hood moulding and possibly replaced a smaller window. Within the W wall of the S window recess there is a flat-headed doorway giving access to a wall-walk on the S wall of the hall. The S chamfered jamb of a polished limestone fireplace survives in the centre of the W all, the masonry immediately N of the jamb has been built up to provide a secure angle where the wall had previously collapsed. A small garderobe chamber is accessed through a doorway at the E end of the S wall. It has a wall-cupboard in the W wall, the garderobe chute in the S wall and is lit by a gun-loop with stirrup base in the E wall. The entrance to the third floor from the spiral stair has been broken out and blocked up. This chamber is lit by a depressed ogee-headed single-light window in the N half of the E wall and by a flat-headed three-light window in the S half, now blocked internally, which possibly replaced a smaller window. A doorway in the E end of the S wall gives access to a small garderobe chamber. The S chamfered jamb of a polished limestone fireplace survives in the centre of the W wall, the wall N of this has been rebuilt. There is good survival of internal plaster at both second and third-floor level. The fourth floor was entered via a pointed doorway from the spiral stair. It was lit by an elliptical-headed single-light window in the N wall W of the spiral stair, a two-light elliptical-headed window in the E wall and an oriel window with elliptical-headed lights, three to the front and one to each side, at the W end of the S wall. Externally the oriel is support on a corbelled base constructed from dressed limestone with punch-tooling within drafted margins. S of centre in the E wall there is a fine flat-headed joggle-jointed polished limestone fireplace at the S end of the E wall, with moulded surround and projecting stone mantel. A flat-headed doorway at the E end of the S wall, with door recess in the E wall, presumably gives access to a small garderobe chamber. Though most of the W wall does not survive, the northernmost surviving masonry appears to form the S side of a fireplace, though the crude surround suggests it mig