Kanturk Castle

On land sloping gently down to the Brogeen River to the SE; the Allow River flows a short distance to the E. This fortified house was built by the MacDonagh MacCarthys. A number of legends are associated with the building of Kanturk (see Kelly 1896), but its exact date of construction is conjectural; Craig (1982, 117), following Leask (1941, 126), suggests before 1609, though the 3rd-floor fireplace in the E wall is similar in style to the fireplace in Monkstown castle (CO087-028----), which bears the date 1636, suggesting a somewhat later date. However, the house was never completed: the machicolations were never finished and it was never roofed. According to tradition, when news of the ongoing construction reached the Privy Council in England, the Crown became suspicious of the MacCarthys' motives for building such a large, fortified house, and ordered that work should stop (Kelly 1896, 258). Dermot MacCarthy later mortgaged the castle to Sir Philip Perceval during the 1641 rebellion, but by 1667 the estate had legally passed to Sir Philip's grandson (Lewis 1837, 33). The castle has stood unchanged ever since. The remains consist in a 4-storey rectangular block (27.7m N-S; 11.3m E-W) with a 5-storey square flanking tower (8.5m x 8.5m) at each corner (see plan in Leask 1941, 128).

The main entrance is a 1st-floor doorway in the centre of the W wall. It has a limestone door surround with a round arch with a pilaster on either side supporting a frieze and cornice (see photograph in de Breffny 1977, 144), which reflects influences from the European Renaissance. Directly beneath the latter is the ground-floor doorway, almost completely ruined; the second ground-floor doorway in the centre of the E wall has a door surround with a pointed arch, twist-carved moulding, and yett holes. The interior had wooden floors throughout, now marked by opposing lines of joist sockets. All floors well lit by symmetrically arranged windows; the ground floor has single rounded or semi-elliptically arched lights, but the other floors have larger rectangular lights with mullion and transom divisions, covered by hood mouldings. Most window embrasures have had original flat-arched roofs replaced by concrete lintels. The house contains numerous fireplaces; those in the main block are positioned near either end of both side walls, whilst most floors in corner towers have their own fireplace - except for the NE stairway tower. Most fireplace surrounds have a flat arch and a shallow mantle; however, the surround of the fireplace near the S end of the E wall, at 3rd-floor level, has a mantle carved with 'bold frieze and cornice' in the same fashion as the entrance door. The largest fireplace is near the N end of the E wall, on the ground floor; the lintel is missing; there are the remains of a domed bread oven on the S side, suggesting this was the kitchen fireplace. The chimney stacks on the side walls of the main block project externally at either end of the front face of these walls; stacks do not survive above wall level.

The NE tower formerly contained wooden stairs, probably with landing at each corner, judging by position of windows, joist holes and plaster-shadow on inside wall faces. Doorways at N end of E wall of main block give entry to stairs from four main floors. Similarly positioned doorways, at S end of E wall and at either end of W wall, give entry to chambers in other three corner towers. Tower defended by series of splayed gun loops at ground-floor level, one on each face of SE and NE towers and one on E face of NW and SW towers; loops positioned under window lights; front opening is circular. Lack of loops on W side suggests existence of former bawn on that side. Base batter on all external walls except main W face and W and inside faces of SW and NW towers, which have vertical face. Continuous string course marks floor levels, except that between ground and 1st floor, on all exterior walls. Row of tapering corbels, formerly supporting continuous machicolations, survive atop each wall face.

This is a National Monument in State Guardianship (no. 517).