Ballynahow Castle

Ballynahow Castle
Native name Irish: Caisleán Bhaile na hAbha
Type	tower house
Location	Ballynahow, Ballycahill, County Tipperary, Ireland
Coordinates	52°41′35″N 7°52′41″W / 52.693070°N 7.878118°W / 52.693070; -7.878118Coordinates: 52°41′35″N 7°52′41″W / 52.693070°N 7.878118°W / 52.693070; -7.878118
Elevation	87 m (285 ft)
Height	15.2 m (50 ft)
Built	c. 1500–1550
Architectural style(s)	Tower house
Owner	Irish state
National Monument of Ireland
Official name: Ballynahow Castle
Reference no.	234
Location of Ballynahow Castle in Ireland

Ballynahow Castle is a tower house and a National Monument in County Tipperary, Ireland.^[1][2]

Location

Another view of Ballynahow Castle

Ballynahow Castle is located 4.6 km (2.9 mi) west-northwest of Thurles, on the west bank of the Farneybridge River (a tributary of the River Suir).

History

Ballynahow Castle was built in the early 16th century by the Purcell family, an Old English family who held the title of Baron of Loughmoe. The lower floors were used in the 1840s as a cottage. The tower house was transferred to state ownership in 1930.^[3]

The tower house

The tower house (caiseal) rises 15.2 m (50 ft) to the chemin de ronde, off which are four evenly spaced machicolations. It is five storeys tall with slit windows and large fireplaces on the second and fourth levels. A hole in the north wall on the fourth level leads to a secret chamber set into the walls.^[4] Originally the top level was covered by a conical timber roof carried on squinches.^[5]

References