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Carrigaphooca Castle ( ga, Caisleán Carraig a' Phúca, meaning Castle on the Rock of the Fairy; the word ''Púca'' translates as
ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
or fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
), is a ruined five storey rectangular tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
situated on a steep-sided rock overlooking the River Sullane
The River Sullane ( ga, An Sulán) runs from the mountains between County Cork and County Kerry in southern Ireland, near the village of Cúil Aodha. After passing Ballyvourney, it runs through the centre of Macroom, to which it provides drink ...
. It is located 6 km west of Macroom
Macroom (; ga, Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of ...
, County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, Ireland, in an area once known as Gleann na n-Dearg (''Valley of the Reds'').O'Brien (1990), 31 The tower dominates the landscape of Lissacresig (''Fairyland'') in Clondrohid
Clondrohid () is a village and Civil_parishes_in_Ireland, civil parish in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, four miles (6 km) north of Macroom. As of the 2016 census, the population of the village was recorded as 179, down from 188 ...
, and Lower Shanballyshane, in Kilnamartyra
Kilnamartyra ( , meaning ''church of the martyr'' or ''church of the relic'') is a village and civil parish in County Cork, Ireland. It is located around half-way between Killarney and Macroom. The parish is a kilometre from the L3402 local road ...
.O'Brien (1990), 30 Carrigaphooca is made of sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
and limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and was built as a defensive tower by MacCarthy clan member Donal MacCarthy of Drishane c. 1336-51.
Carrigaphooca is positioned in an area rich with neolithic monuments; a stone circle lies two fields to the east. The tower is located on private property, and is no longer accessible to the public, although it is owned by the state and maintained by the Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of ow ...
.Heritage Unit of Cork County Council (2017), p. 96
History
Although named as a castle, Carrigaphooca was built as a defensive tower between 1436 and 1451, probably by Donal MacCarthy of Drishane Castle. TheMuskerry
Muskerry ( ga, Múscraí) is a central region of County Cork, Ireland which incorporates the baronies of Muskerry WestMacCarthy family were a medieval
The five storey tower is simple in design and positioned on a steep and high, jagged rock, making approach for attackers difficult. The ground floor chamber is lit by small off-center windows, and is flanked by a straight mural stone stairs for 11 steps to the first floor. The stairs become spiral from the 2nd to the 4th floor level. In all the stairwell contains 54 steps. Although the ground floors of most contemporary towers were usually completely dark, Carrigaphooca's ground floor contains three windows, which are deeply recessed giving an appreciation of unusual thickness of the walls. The narrow windows are accessible to birds, particularly crows, who since the towers ruin, have dropped layers of twigs.O'Brien (1990), 33
The building is a relatively simple design. There is one surviving window, located on eastern front and opposite the entrance to the 2nd floor, and which like the remains of the other windows, contains a fairly basic 
The top floor may have also contained living quarters, and perhaps a fireplace. The windows on the northern and southern walls are significantly larger than on the other floors and give a panoramic view of the surrounding valley, as well as the distant the Killarney Paps and
Barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
located mostly in the mid cork region. Although one of Ireland's greatest medieval dynasties they lost large areas of the region in the 13th century which they were trying to recapture in the mid 15th century, when the castle was built.
Carrigaphooca's location on the route-way between Macroom and County Kerry gave it strategic importance.Heritage Unit of Cork County Council (2017), p. 95 The MacCarthys were constantly engaged in internecine warfare and the tower was often attacked, especially by Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare.
Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney
Blarney () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork City in Ireland. It is located approximately north-west of the city centre. It is the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone. Blarney is part of the Dáil ...
took refuge in the tower after he had sided with the Irish during the Siege of Kinsale
The siege of Kinsale, or Battle of Kinsale ( ga, Léigear/Cath Chionn tSáile), was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of t ...
in 1601. He stayed there until he was forgiven by Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
after he had written a personal letter of apology to her.O'Brien (1990), 32
In 1602, the castle was attacked and taken by Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare
Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven ( ga, Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara) (1561–1618), was an Irish nobleman and soldier who was the last independent Chief of the Name of the O'Sullivan clan. He was thus ...
and another member of the extended McCarthy family. After a protracted siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
, their forces broke through the outer wall and burned the timber door at the north face entrance. The defenders surrendered and were allowed to go free.
Description
The five storey tower is simple in design and positioned on a steep and high, jagged rock, making approach for attackers difficult. The ground floor chamber is lit by small off-center windows, and is flanked by a straight mural stone stairs for 11 steps to the first floor. The stairs become spiral from the 2nd to the 4th floor level. In all the stairwell contains 54 steps. Although the ground floors of most contemporary towers were usually completely dark, Carrigaphooca's ground floor contains three windows, which are deeply recessed giving an appreciation of unusual thickness of the walls. The narrow windows are accessible to birds, particularly crows, who since the towers ruin, have dropped layers of twigs.O'Brien (1990), 33
The building is a relatively simple design. There is one surviving window, located on eastern front and opposite the entrance to the 2nd floor, and which like the remains of the other windows, contains a fairly basic lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
ed block head. Carrigaphooca does not contain a fireplace, suggesting, in the words of the Heritage Unit of Cork County Council
Cork County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cork, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and co ...
, that it was "built more with protection in mind rather than comfort". According to the writer Barry O'Brien, Carrigaphooca was "in its day...quite a splendid building and must have offered considerable security to the besieged and a formidable challenge to the besiegers.
The top floor may have also contained living quarters, and perhaps a fireplace. The windows on the northern and southern walls are significantly larger than on the other floors and give a panoramic view of the surrounding valley, as well as the distant the Killarney Paps and Mullaghanish
Mullaghanish ( ga, Mullach an Ois) is a 649 m high mountain in the Derrynasaggart range, located just northeast of Ballyvourney in County Cork, Ireland.
Transmission site
This site is home to one of Telefís Éireann's original five main tel ...
.
The tower once contained two defensive outer walls, which are now lost and have left no traceable remains. It contains the remains of two corner bartizan
A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of late medieval and early-modern fortifications from the ...
s on two opposite wall tops. They appear as projecting stone boxes with gaps that were used as protection by defenders when shooting downwards at attackers. The first floor consists of a single room which was probably used as quarters for the guards. The timbers bearing the floor were supported on still visible limestone carved corbel
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
s.
During the 1970s, the Office of Public Works undertook restoration of the site, and added a flight of steps leading over the rock base, joining with the main entrance.Power (1997), p. 361 The restoration included the addition of narrow stepped turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope
* Mi ...
to give access to the unguarded walk-way around the roof, although it was later blocked by a gate in the mid 1980s for safety reasons.
References
Notes
Sources
* * * {{refend Castles in County Cork National Monuments in County Cork MacCarthy dynasty Macroom