Louise Murphy

1-Louise Murphy – CO070-034

Townland: Carrigaphooca

Parish: Clondrohid

Barony: Muskerry West

County: Cork

Townland Name Translation: Rock of the Fairy

ITM Coordinates: 529236 , 573435

SMR: CO070-034—-

Monument Type: Castle / Tower House

Historical maps:

6 inch (1829-1941) “Carrigaphooca Castle – In Ruins”
25 inch (1897-1913) “Carrigaphooca Castle”

Date visited: 02/03/2024

Carrigaphooca Castle is located in the Carrigaphooca townland to the east of Macroom Town and is surrounded by rich agricultural land owned by the Healy family. It is an example of an early Irish tower house and is quite a simple structure without more complex features such as fireplaces and chimneys. It is said to have been built in 1436 by Donal Mac Carthy. This monument is a five-story rectangular tower house built on top of a rocky outcrop with steep sides. The blunt pointed vaulted ceiling is still in place, this holds the walls together and would have also served as a fire break for the great hall on the top floor. The ground floor (6.5m E-W; 5.4m N-S) is lit with three windows which are placed off-centre in the E, S and W walls. The outer walls visibly become wider at the base, this is known as battering. This feature not only gives the tower structural support but is also defensive as it thickens the areas of the wall most open to ground attack. The door is located on the ground floor north-facing wall and accessed via modern stone steps. The photograph below shows the east-facing wall. The diagonally placed lines of windows were positioned to light the internal staircase. To accommodate the staircase the east-facing wall is thinner. As the weakest wall, its placement on the steepest side of the rock crop was probably intentional. On the N.E. corner, there are the remains of a bartizan. A defensive feature that has been used to defend the tower from above. Placement on the corner meant both the north and east walls could be defended from the same position. A bartizan on the S.W corner served the same purpose.

2 -Louise Murphy – CO070-034

Townland: Carrigaphooca

Parish: Clondrohid

Barony: Muskerry West

County: Cork

Townland Name Translation: Rock of the Fairy

ITM Coordinates: 529236 , 573435

SMR: CO070-034—-

Monument Type: Castle / Tower House

Historical maps:

6 inch (1829-1941) “Carrigaphooca Castle – In Ruins”
25 inch (1897-1913) “Carrigaphooca Castle”

Date visited: 02/03/2024

South Embrasure – Ground Floor Chamber

This picture shows the south-facing window placed in the SE corner of the ground floor chamber. The inner part of the embrasure is square set and covered with a segmented vault. The outer part is smaller and shorter, covered by lintels. Sunlight enters the chamber through a square-headed light. This type of opening is flared inward. It’s very narrow on the outside for defensive purposes and wide on the inside to allow more light to enter. This also allows archers to have more manoeuvrability when deafening the tower house from within. The arch of the segmented vault would have been constructed using the technique of wicker centering. A bed of wicker was used to support the archstones during construction. The impression of the wicker is still preserved in the mortar. In the picture below, where the wicker-centred arch meets the flat wall of the embrasure on the right side three Nib holes are visible. These would have supported timber beams placed across the width of the vault which in turn supported the wicker bed during the arches construction. Although glass technology existed at this time, animal skins stretched over a wooden frame would most likely have been used to close the window opening. The space provided by the vault would have been used for storage or as seating.

3a- 3b -Louise Murphy – CO058-033

Townland: Gortnatubbrid

Parish: Ballyvourney

Barony: Muskerry West

County: Cork

Townland Name Translation: Field of the spring-well

ITM Coordinates: 519977 , 576917

SMR: CO058-033—-

Monument Type: Fulacht Fia

Historical maps:

6 inch (1829-1941) – Not annotated
25 inch (1897-1913) – Not annotated

Date visited: 02/03/2024

This fulacht fia is located in the townland of Gortnatubbrid. One possible translation of the name is ‘Field of the spring-well’. Excavated in 1951 by M.J O’Kelly it is not annotated on either the 6 or the 25-inch Ordnance Survey maps. Excavations revealed a central trough, a primary and secondary hearth, a pit, evidence of a wigwam-like wooden structure and a burnt mound. The immediate vicinity is quite waterlogged with water trickling through the grass in several spots. Therefore we can assume the central trough would have been filled by the seeping groundwater. Located in a clearing of St. Gobnait’s Wood not much of the site remains visible above ground. The image below (3a) was taken from around the most easterly point of the primary hearth slabs facing north. Some of the secondary hearth slabs were visible as well as some of the 11 slabs that arced around the secondary heart itself. One or two slabs of the 6 slabs that arced around the primary hearth were also visible. I have included an excavation drawing (3b) of the fulacht fia below, areas in which I observed visible stones are highlighted. This site could have been used for cooking, water boiling, brewing or as a sweathouse. UCC Professor M.J O’Kelly used the site in the 1950s to conduct experimental archaeology. He was able to cook meat in the central trough using the 20 minutes to the lb and 20 leftover formula.

4-Louise Murphy – CO069-013

Townland: Gortanimill

Parish: Kilnamartery

Barony: Muskerry West

County: Cork

Townland Name Translation: Field of the Border

ITM Coordinates: 520842 , 574136

SMR: CO069-013—-

Monument Type: Stone Circle

Historical maps:

6 inch (1829-1941) – “Stone Circle”
25 inch (1897-1913) – “Stone Circle”

Date visited: 02/03/2024

Located 227.64m OD this stone circle is in an area that is hilly with rocky outcrops. This stone circle is part of the Cork and Kerry stone circle complex of mid-to-late bronze age monuments. It is annotated on both the 6-inch and 25-inch Ordnance Survey maps as “Stone Circle”. The circle consists of 9 stones and has a quartz block in its centre. Quartz is frequently found in association with bronze age monuments such as this. The internal diameter is 7.5m along its main axis, NNE-SSW. The picture below was taken from elevated ground looking over the stone circle facing north. The axial stone is in the immediate foreground and the two portal stones are across from the axial in the middle ground.

5-Louise Murphy – CO058-034007

Townland: Glebe

Parish: Ballyvourney

Barony: Muskerry West

County: Cork

Townland Name Translation: ?

ITM Coordinates: 519783 , 576876

SMR: CO058-034007-

Monument Type: Church

Historical maps:

6 inch (1829-1941) – “Church”
25 inch (1897-1913) – “St. Gobnet’s Church – In Ruins”

Date visited: 02/03/2024

These church ruins are a part of St. Gobnait’s Complex (CO058-034001-11) in Glebe in Ballyvourney. The ruins of Ballyvourney parish church, known as Teampall Ghobnatan are located in the east end of the older part of St. Gobnait’s Cemetery and is thought to have been built on the site of St. Gobnait’s convent. St. Gobnait is a 6th-century Irish saint associated with bees and deer. According to O’Kelly, the church dates from the late medieval period, circa the 12th century. He was also certain it stood on the site of an earlier building (1952:37). Like all Christian churches it is orientated E-W. The nave of the church is entered via a doorway on the south-facing wall. It would have been lit by simple slit windows in the south and north walls. The nave measures 19.2m E-W, 9.25m N-S and the chancel measures 8.55m E-W, 6.55m N-S. A lintelled doorway 2m above the ground on the west gable suggests the presence of a once adjoining structure, possibly a steeple. The north-facing wall has a glassed display of the stations of the cross; this was added in 1993. To the west of the ruins is a small mound which is said to be the grave of St. Gobnait. The complex is also known as St. Gobnait’s shrine. It is an important pilgrimage site and devotees can be seen ‘making the rounds’ at the stations. Included in the 10 stations are the ruins, St. Gobnait’s grave, a hut site (CO058-034001), and a holy well (CO058-034009). The picture below was taken facing northeast. In it, you can see a devotee praying at the 9th station on the west-facing gable of the church.