Category Archives: Historic Ruins

Two Ruins, One Site


Located in County Meath, but close to the border with County Offaly, Castlejordan is said to take its name from a man named Jordan, but who he might have been is open to conjecture. One suggestion is that he was a Norman knight called Jordan de Courcy, a relative (possibly a son) of John de Courcy who in the late 12th century conquered much of eastern Ulster. According to this story, following the senior de Courcy’s downfall, Jordan fled or was exiled to Exeter but later returned to Ireland and erected a fortress which came to be known as Castlejordan. The alternative version is that the place owes its origins to a later settler, Jordan Comyn who is held to have founded an Augustinian Priory a few miles away at Ballyboggan. 





Found beside the river Monagh, by their scale the ruins of Castlejordan indicate that this was once a fortress of some importance, used to defend the inhabitants of the Pale against incursions by the local O’Connor family. It appears that during the 16th century, the castle regularly changed hands between the English and Irish, although towards the end of the Tudor period it was held by Sir Henry Duke. Following his death in 1595, the property was inherited by one of Duke’s daughters, Mary who married Richard Gifford, and it would appear their descendants remained living in the area until the early 19th century, although the castle came under attack several times during the Confederate Wars of the 1640s. How much of the building survived from this period is open to question: by 1837, in his Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, when writing about Castlejordan, Samuel Lewis simply noted ‘here are the ruins of a castle, formerly occupied by the Giffords.’ The last member of the family associated with the site appears to have been Marie Giffard (note the slight difference in spelling of the surname by the late 18th century). She married Frederick William Lewis Augustus, Count de Lusi, who from 1834-38 served as Prussian Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Greece. What remains of the castle is in two parts. That closer to the river is a squat, three storey structure, the north-west front flanked by a pair of circular towers, and with tall chimneys on two gable ends. This might be considered complete in itself, but rather strangely, some distance to the south is another structure, a single tall, slender tower at least five storeys high and with masonry on one side indicating it was once part of a bigger building (but now forming the backdrop to a private garden, rather like a modern version of the 18th century folly). Has Castlejordan castle been the subject of a detailed study or archaeological survey? It would seem not, but any further information on the place would be fascinating to see. 




A short distance to the west of the old castle lies another ruin, this time of a Church of Ireland church. Samuel Lewis advised readers that this was built in 1826, likely on the site of an earlier place of worship, since records survive showing that services were held in Castlejordan during the 17th and 18th centuries: In 1693, for example, the church and chancel here were recorded as being in good repair. According to Lewis, the new building was constructed at a cost of £664, 12 shillings and one penny. On the other hand, the Parliamentary Directory of 1846 gives a figure of £923, one shilling and six and a half pence. Both sources agree that the expense was borne thanks to a loan from the Board of First Fruits, and the later document also provides the helpful information that while the church could hold 100 persons, attendance averaged 40. Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic chapel had an attendance of 600. As the Parliamentary Directory noted, while the Protestants of the parish amounted to 60, the number of Roman Catholics was 4,024. By the early 20th century, the church in Castlejordan was united with a number of other parishes and eventually closed for services in 1978. Today, just the tower which would have stood at the west end of the building, still remains in place, like a response to the singular tall tower of the older castle to the south.  

The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

A Very Superior Style of Sculpture and Architecture


‘Abbey of Sligo: A monastery was founded in this town A.D. 1253 by Maurice Fitz Gerald, then Lord Justice, under the invocation of the Holy Cross, for friars of the Order of St. Dominick. It is seated pleasantly, on the river Gitley, and near the sea.
In 1270, 1360, and 1394, the town was destroyed by contending factions, and the monastery pillaged; and in 1414 there were but 20 Friars resident in it. The next year the whole pile was consumed by fire. This misfortune being represented to Pope John XXIII, then present at the Council of Constance, he issued the following Apostolic letters:’ 






‘ “John, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to all Christian believers, who shall see these present letters, salvation and apostolic blessing.
It having been represented unto us, that the church and house of the Dominicans at Sligo, in the diocese of Elphin, in which it is affirmed twenty brothers have long devoutly served God, were lately burnt by fire, and that the prior and some of the brethren of the order desire to repair said church and house, a work of considerable expense, the means to defray which they do not possess. We, consulting the honour of said church, and willing that it should be repaired, that the faithful may resort thither more freely for devotion, and be desirous to contribute more liberally towards its repairs when they shall find themselves replenished with celestial gifts: relying, as we do on the mercy of the Omnipotent God, and by the authority of his blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, do compassionately relax ten years, and as many forty days of penance (decem annos et totidem quadragenas) enjoined on all penitents and those who have confessed, on the feasts of the assumption of the blessed Virgin Mary and St. Patrick shall devoutly visit the aforesaid church, and contribute to its repairs.
Our will is, that if there is any indulgence, either for ever or for a certain time, granted by us, to those who shall visit and assist in repairing said church and house, that it shall from henceforth be null and void. Dated at Constance, the 16th of the Calends of February, in the 5th Year of our Pontificate, A.D. 1415”.’






‘The present building was now begun in a very superior style of sculpture and architecture. Among its principal benefactors were O’Conor, Lord of Sligo, and Peirce O’Timony, a man of considerable wealth and property, whose statue was placed in the cloister. There are two large chapels, divided by a square belfry: the tower is entire, except the battlements at the top. The arches are lofty, and enriched with foliage and angels. The three sides of the cloisters are covered by an arched roof. The front and sides of the altar are ornamented with Gothic arches, foliage, and tracery, and there are pedestals for statues. The eastern window is very beautiful, and a stone gallery surrounds the nave. Several feet from the ground is the tomb of O’Conor and his lady, kneeling on each side of an altar. The Gothic arches, fluted pillars, and multiplicity of minute and curious ornaments, make us wonder at the high degree to which the arts of sculpture and architecture were now carried, and particularly how much money could be procured for the accomplishment of such a work in a country torn by rebellion and domestic dissension, as was the case with Ireland at this time… An inquisition, on the 27th of Elizabeth, finds this monastery had a church, a steeple, cemetery, and two other stone buildings, a fishing weir, with some parcels of land.’ 


From The Antiquities of Ireland by Francis Grose, Vol. I (London, 1791)
The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

Castle Hackett


Castle Hackett, County Galway dates back to the 13th century when, as the name indicates, it was built by the Anglo-Norman Hacketts who had arrived in the country during the previous century and mostly settled in the south-east (for example, in County Carlow, where the settlement of Hacketstown testifies to their presence). By the 15th century, the castle had passed into the possession of the Kirwan family, one of the 14 Tribes of Galway and the only one to be considered of Gaelic origin. They continued to occupy the building until the early 18th century when a new house, also called Castle Hackett, was constructed nearby: this was burnt by anti-Treaty forces in 1923 but subsequently rebuilt. As for the old castle, still surrounded by portions of a bawn wall, it makes for a striking ruin on the landscape.


The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

Playing Peekaboo




After Monday’s post about Ardfinnan Castle, here are the remains of a religious house found a little to the south on the other side of the river Suir. This is known as Lady’s Abbey, a Carmelite friary dating from the early 14th century and most likely closed down just over 200 years later during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Little survives other than the walls of the church which has a nave separated by a central tower from the chancel concluding in a two-light east window. A south transept also contains a window, the jambs of which feature a carved head, one of a bearded man, the other looking distinctly unhappy, perhaps because he and his companion are now almost lost in the dense ivy that covers so much of the building.




The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

A Sadder Sight than One would Think



‘It was a sadder sight than one would think,
To see that ruined church upon the hill,
Deserted, dreary, lone and desolate;
But then its spire would point to heaven still.
Like standard-bearer wounded in the fight,
Who, with his last remaining strength, upholds
His nation’s banner; so this dying church,
In its last hours, seemed bent on saving souls.

‘Twas sad to see the windows broken through;
But then they let God’s air and sunshine in:
The church, once closed to keep all errors out,
Now seemed as if it prayed more light to win.
And early spring-birds entered fearless there,
Within the church-pale unconverted came,
And built their nests within the pulpit’s shade,
And never dreamed there could be any blame…’





‘I wondered if the ancient fathers slept
In peace, within the churchyard just away,
While this, their pride, their consecrated dome,
So all unheeded crumbled to decay;
And more, if creeds escape while churches fall,
If they’ve no broken doors and windows, too,
By time’s or progress’ hand,—through which the light
Of higher truths comes brightly streaming through.

I climbed with fear the staircase weak and old,
That tottered like a ship by tempest driven,
And wondered if the saints had feared as much,
When through its creed they groped their way to heaven;
And stood within the galleries that ran
From end to end, and bent and gazed below
With heart that trembled like the saints of old,
Lest all should crumble, and I “sink to woe.”…’





‘And, as I gazed, and thought how sad that now
No feet of worshippers its old aisles trod,—
Alike forsaken by its builder, man,
And him to whom they gave, its owner, God;
I heard the voice of children in their mirth,
A group of little faces gathered there,
All unbaptized, some fresh from God’s own hand,
Who played and sported where they knelt in prayer.

I lingered till the human angels passed,—
Until the sun was growing faint and dim,
When, soft and sweet, amid the, stillness there,
The birds—Heaven’s choir—began their vesper hymn;
And while I listened to their “Te Deum,”
That made the ruin with its echo ring,
I said, “Not half so sweet the anthems loud,
That many souls in dim cathedrals sing!”‘



Extracts from The Ruined Church by Achsa Sprague (published posthumously, 1864)
Photographs show the ruins of Coolaghflags church, County Kilkenny, a late mediaeval chapel which was enlarged c.1750.

The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

A Memorial



The remains of a late medieval church at Templecross, County Westmeath. The building was once part of the adjacent Tristernagh Abbey estate, granted by Elizabeth I to the soldier William Piers as a reward for his efforts to clear the Scots from Ulster. Tristernagh was then inherited by his son Henry, who despite marrying a daughter of Thomas Jones, Archbishop of Dublin, seemingly converted to Roman Catholicism in his late 20s. The south wall of the church features a large stone memorial tablet to Henry Piers who died in 1623 (although the tablet itself carries the date 1620). 



The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

Resting in Peace



At the eastern end of the graveyard around St Owen’s church in Ballymore, County Westmeath and surrounded by tombstones going back several hundred years is this little mausoleum or mortuary chapel associated with the Magan family of Umma House which stands some five miles to the south. While the building dates from the 17th century, the doorcase and window are believed to have come from an earlier tower house. The church can be seen here: constructed in 1827 with a loan of £1,043 from the Board of First Fruits, it replaced an earlier place of worship and was intended to hold congregations of up to 300 persons. However, it never attracted a fraction of that number and closed for services in 1959, being unroofed five years later. 



The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

Constantly an Object of Contention


‘The castle of Ballintober, the chief seat of the O’Conors, in which Felim [Felim Geancach O’Connor King of Connaught, 1406–1474] spent most of his time, deserves more than a passing notice. This castle…was one of the principal strongholds of the Irish and does not appear to have ever been for any considerable length of time in the possession of the English. No record remains to show when it was first erected. According to tradition, it dates back to the time of Cathal Crovedearg, and to the reign of King John. It is first mentioned in the Irish annals about a century later, and between that time and the period at which we have now arrived it underwent many vicissitudes. It was frequently besieged, often partially destroyed, sometimes burned, then restored, and was constantly an object of contention between the rival chiefs…’ 





‘…The plan of the castle consisted of a quadrangular enclosure, varying from 277 to 264 feet in length, and from 245 to 247 feet in breadth.  It was defended by strong towers at each angle, and by two others, one at each side of the grand entrance, which opened upon an esplanade at the end of the ridge towards the east. The whole was surrounded by a broad fosse. On the south and to the east, the fosse was constructed to retain water; and even to the present day, on the former side, it accomplishes this purpose, and enough of water remains to show the object of its construction. On the two opposite sides, the ditches, deep, broad and cut into the rock, are at present quite dry; but as they lie below the level of the water, these also could on occasion be flooded. There appears to have been once a draw-bridge from the postern gate opening out on the crest of the ridge.
The grand towers are all polygonal, but there is a want of symmetry in their construction, no two agreeing in the number and length of their sides. The south-west tower presents six faces on the exterior, the north-west five, the north-east seven and the south-east six. The sides of the north-west tower are respectively in length, beginning at the west curtain, 22 ft 6 in; 9 ft 9 in; 11 ft; and 11 ft 7 in.
The south-east tower is about 30 feet in breadth, and it and all the towers are elongated towards the interior of the great court. The towers, especially the two to the west, had very substantial walls, through which, in the lower parts, there were loop-holes for defence; the upper stories being furnished with windows of habitable apartments. The interior of each has been for a long time in a ruinous state, the two to the east being completely gutted. In the north-west tower, some doorways, with lancets and flatly-pointed arches, in very pleasing proportion, remain in tolerable preservation; and a fire-place and chimney-piece, with arms bearing the date 1629, appear on the walls of the third story, but the floors of the upper stories have altogether disappeared…’





‘…From the earliest date at which any reference is made to it in history until its destruction as a habitable residence at the end of the seventeenth century, Ballintober castle appears to have been, with some interruptions, in the possession of the O’Conors, and their principal stronghold. When they divided into the two septs of O’Conor Don and O’Conor Roe, it became the residence of the former. In 1526 we read that Lord Kildare took the castles of Ballintober and Castlerea, and handed them over to O’Conor Roe, from whom they were taken the following year by O’Conor Don, aided by O’Donnell.
In 1571 Sir Edward Fytton, Governor of Connaught, again took the castles of Ballintober and Castlerea, and raised the latter to the ground, and Ballintober apparently remained in the hands of the English until the year 1581, when the Annals of Loch Cé inform us that “Ballintober, which the Saxons had, was given to Dualtach, son of Toole O’Conor.” This Dualtach was the nephew of O’Conor Don, and had set up in rivalry to him. Apparently the castle did not long remain in Dualtach’s possession as shortly after we find O’Conor Don again in occupation, and there he died in 1585. In this same year the castle and the lands adjoining it were surrendered to Queen Elizabeth by his son and successor Hugh O’Conor Don, who received them back under patent from the English sovereign. In 1598, the walls of the castle were battered down by O’Donnell, who having defeated the English at the Battle of the Curlieus, attacked O’Conor Don, and obliged him to surrender. Whether the castle was ever fully restored is doubtful; but as it appears from an ancient MS in the Ashburnham collection that a considerable portion of it was rebuilt by Sir Hugh O’Conor after O’Donnell’s attack, it is more than probable that he completely restored it…Charles O’Conor, the grandson of this Sir Hugh, was the last of the O’Conors who resided at Ballintober. Probably when he left it, it ceased to be inhabited, and became the ruin into which pillagers for well-dressed stones speedily converted it.’ 


Extracts from The O’Conors of Connaught: An Historical Memoir by Charles Owen O’Conor Don (Dublin, 1891) 

The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

The Butlers Did It (again)



A tower house dating from the late 15th or early 16th century, Grallagh Castle, County Tipperary, like so many other such structures in this part of the country, was for a long time associated with the Butler family: James Butler, tenth Baron of Dunboyne, bequeathed the property to his son in 1533. By the 18th century it had come into the possession of the Mansergh family. The partially ruined four-storey building is surrounded by some 100 feet of bawn wall still standing. On the exterior, there are bartizans in the north-east and south-west corners and a murder hole above the doorway on the west side. Inside, the ground floor has a barrel-vaulted ceiling and walls punctuated with arrow slits. A mural stairway leads to the upper floors featuring several two-light windows with window-seats, a fireplace and a garderobe.



The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by

Signs of Former Greatness



Scattered around the market town of Clones, County Monaghan is evidence that this was once an important religious centre. A monastery was founded here in the first half of the sixth century by Saint Tigernach (d.549) which in due course became a substantial establishment, the abbots of which are mentioned several times in the Annals of the Four Masters. A ruined 12th century church (locally known as the Wee Abbey) and a High Cross in the town centre are two of the remains from this earlier history, as is a Round Tower found set into the walls of an oval graveyard on the outskirts of Clones. Some 75 feet high, it has lost its cone roof but retains the doorway some distance above ground, as well as a number of small window openings on different sides. Around the tower are tombstones of varying dates, some of them going back to the 18th century.



The Irish Aesthete is generously supported by