Tirefour Castle, (or Tirefour Broch, also spelled Tirfuir and Tirrefour) is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

broch A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. Origin ...

located 4 kilometres north of

Achnacroish Achnacroish ( gd, Achadh na Croise) is a hamlet on the Scottish island of Lismore. The harbour serves the ferry between Lismore and Oban. The hamlet has the island's primary school. A heritage centre and a church are within walking distance ...

on the island of

Lismore, Scotland Lismore ( gd, Lios Mòr, possibly meaning "great enclosure" or "garden") is an island of some in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The climate is damp and mild, with over of rain recorded annually. This fertile, low-lying island was once a maj ...

Location

Tirefour Castle () is situated on a rocky height on the east coast of the island of Lismore. In clear weather

Ben Nevis Ben Nevis ( ; gd, Beinn Nibheis ) is the highest mountain in Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland ...

can be seen to the north,

Ben Cruachan Ben Cruachan ( gd, Cruachan Beann) is a mountain that rises to , the highest in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It gives its name to the Cruachan Dam, a pumped-storage hydroelectric power station located in a cavern inside the mountain. It is the hig ...

to the east and the

Paps of Jura The Paps of Jura ( gd, Sgurr na Cìche) are three mountains on the western side of the island of Jura, Scotland, Jura, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Their highest point is . They are steep-sided quartzite hills with distinctive conical sh ...

to the south.W. M. Ritchie, (2005) ''The island of Lismore'' p. 8. Lismore Kirk Session. There is a steep slope on the northwest side and on the southeast side. The latter slope turns into a rolling plateau that ends in a steep cliff. The broch can easily be approached from the northeast and the southwest.

Dating

The broch was probably built in the late

.G. Ritchie & M. Harman (1996), ''Argyll and the Western Isles'', p 134. Second Edition. HMSO. It was inhabited during the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

as shown by the discovery of an enamel brooch in the foundation layer.Information board at the location. The broch was inhabited until the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

.M. Coventry, (2006) ''The Castles of Scotland'', p. 604. Fourth Edition, Birlinn Limited. Among the finds in the broch was a decorative pin from the 8th century and a Norse pin and rivets, dating from the 11th or 12th century. Located near the broch are the remains of a rectangular building in the Norse style.

Construction

Tirefour Castle has an almost circular floor plan. The lower floor has a solid, dry stone wall.J.N.G. Ritchie, (1998) ''Brochs of Scotland'', p. 45. Shire Archaeology, This walls are 4.5 m thick. and the internal diameter is approximately 12.2 metres.F. A. Walker, (2000) ''The Buildings of Scotland - Argyll and Bute'', p. 368. Yale University Press. The wall is on average 3 metres high and survives to a maximum height of 4.9 metres in the southeast corner. The entrance to the broch is located on the southwest side and is 1.4 metres wide. There are no indications of an intramural room (guard cell) at the entrance. A supporting (scarcement) ledge is evident in the interior of the broch.D. Christison, (1889)
The duns and forts of Lorne, Nether Lochaber, and the neighbourhood
' p. 368-432. Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., 1888-89; vol. 23 It is located 2.5 metres above the original ground level. The ledge is 60 centimetres wide and is intact for about three quarters of the inner circumference. Tirefour Broch 20100929 interior gallery

Tirefour Broch 20100929 interior gallery

On the northwestern and eastern sides, at a height of 2.5 metres above the original ground level, intramural galleries can be seen. The gallery is 61 centimetres wide and 107 centimetres high. On the west side the gallery is 7 metres long. The ceiling of the gallery is formed by large, flat stones. The interior of the broch is partly filled with earth to a height of at least 1 metre. In 2010, beneath the earth on the north side, a 1 metre wide opening was found, which probably gave access to an intramural room or staircase. Surrounding the broch can be seen traces of two walls, which offered additional protection to the northeast and southwest sides. In the southern wall is an opening which is aligned with the entrance to the broch.

References

External links

* {{Prehistoric Inner Hebrides Archaeological sites in Argyll and Bute Brochs Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Argyll and Bute Lismore, Scotland