Nenagh Castle
In 1194, the first of the Ormond Butlers settled at Nenagh and built the present Castle. Nenagh served as the main seat of the Ormond Butler family until 1391, when they moved to Kilkenny Castle (another OPW site worth visiting). Like most Norman castles, Nenagh Castle was built to impress - it was designed to look strong, expensive and permanent. It is five-sided in plan and consists of a circular Keep at the north angle, flanking towers at the east and west angles, a large twin-towered gatehouse to the south and a curtain wall all around. After the Williamite Wars, Nenagh was dismantled as a precaution against use in any further disorders.
Nenagh Castle has a cylindrical Keep, which was incorporated into a curtain wall that surrounded a rather small courtyard. The keep occupies the north angle of the castle and is built of limestone rubble, irregularly coursed. The tower was raised in the 19th century when the array of window openings and crenellated parapets were built. The original Keep had four storeys including a basement, which was approached from the entrance storey above. At the base the walls are almost 5m thick and at the top just 3m. The diminishing thickness is a result of the inward batter of the walls and the offsets at each floor level, which carried the timber beams for the floors. The entrance doorway at 1st floor was rebuilt, probably in the 1860s, and from it rises a winding stairs built in the thickness of the wall, leading to all the floors above and to
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The keep or donjon
the roof. The stairs has been altered and straightened by a rebuilding of the outer face of the wall almost to the full height of the tower. Originally there was a slight projecting turret to accommodate the stairs. The viewing floor at the top of the castle is possibly at the height of the original roof level. Basement Entrance to the Keep today is through the 18th century breach in the wall at the north side. In 1760 a local farmer tried to blow up the castle in order to rid it of sparrows who were ruining his crops. This left the large breach in the north side of the wall. The original entrance to the Keep was at 1st floor level with access to the basement through a ladder or trap door. The basement was originally featureless with no light and may have been used as a store.
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First Floor This floor had the original entrance door to the Keep with access to the upper floors via the spiral stairs contained within the thickness of the wall. The 1st floor is lit by two long plunging arrow loops with sandstone surroundings on the outside, set in deep wide round headed embrasures at north and south. Second Floor This floor appears to have been the public hall of the Keep. The main door on this floor has a wide round embrasure with a chevron ornamented sandstone arch in the style of c. 1200. Opposite this door is a sandstone round arched embrasure of two orders which may have been the principal court of the lord. There are two round sockets at springing level on both sides of this embrasure. The
two remaining embrasures are built of limestone rubble. There is also a destroyed sandstone fireplace of massive size which had a sloping stone hood. A door from the west embrasure leads to an external round arch doorway from which the wallwalk of the curtain wall and a possible garderobe was accessed. In the embrasure is a long plunging arrow loop which was used by archers to defend the tower. A pair of moulded corbels are set opposite each other which carry the timber braces for the massive floor above. Third Floor The 3rd floor was probably the private residential hall of the lord. It has a partially destroyed fireplace, with engaged sandstone columns and decorated capitals. These supported a sloping stone hood and mantelpiece.
Light was provided by four large sandstone window openings or embrasures. The door to the stairs and the door to the garderobe (or toilet) opposite the stairs have shouldered or Caernarvon style arches. Another embrasure has two niches on the right hand side and may have been a private chapel. The most ornate opening is between the fireplace and the stairs and is decorated with sandstone mouldings with carved bases and capitals. The decoration on this floor is generally dated to the latter part of the 13th century and may be part of the refurbishment of the Keep at this time. There are two pairs of moulded corbels opposite each other on this floor and the braces from these may have supported an original conical roof.
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Flanking Towers and Curtain Walls Nothing remains of the west tower of the castle, but a fragment of the east flanking tower remains barely discernible in a neighbouring back garden. The postern gate was situated to the south side of this tower. Whilst most of the curtain walls have disappeared, a 5m length of said wall remains on the east side of the Keep. Furthermore, some traces can still be seen on the Keep and on the gatehouse. These traces and the notes made by the Ordnance surveyors in the 1840s, makes a reasonably accurate reconstruction possible. There were four flanking towers, one on each side of the entrance gateway to the south, the others at the east and west side of the pentagon. The Gatehouse A pair of half round towers flanked the original entrance gate. A rectangular building was erected to the back of them in the latter half of the 13th century – the gatehouse.
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Like Limerick Castle, Nenagh Gatehouse may have been three to four storeys high. The gateway opened into a passageway through the full width of the gatehouse. The gateway was defended with a drawbridge that could be lowered over a moat, and a portcullis. An example of such a drawbridge can be seen in the restored Roscrea Castle. The gatehouse towers guarded not only the main entrance but afforded a flanking defence to the curtain walls on each side. The surviving gatehouse tower has two embrasures and a domed vaulted ceiling. The rectangular building added to the gatehouse had two chambers to each side of the passageway. The passageway may have had a barrel vaulted ceiling, while the side chambers had a rib groin vault ceiling supported on centrally placed pillars. At 1st floor level was a fine room, 19m long by 9m wide, which may have been a baronial hall.
Conservation Works The first conservation works carried out by the OPW on Nenagh Castle were carried out at the Gatehouse and involved the clearing of ivy on the outer walls and the raking out and repointing of the stonework. On the ground floor of the east tower the badly cracked domed vault was stitched and the floor above the said vault was subsequently flaunched. Conservation works to the Keep started with work to the interior at basement level and continued on up to the roof level. Recent concrete additions were removed. The ledges and sockets were repaired for the installation of new oak timber beams and oak floors. Embrasures, window sills, sandstone jambs and arches were repaired where required and new bronze framed windows inserted into the window opes.
OPW Project Team Senior Architect Aighleann O’Shaughnessy Architect Flora O’Mahony, Architectural Assistant Eamonn Rafter District Works Manager Eamonn Rafter Site foreman Gunther Wolters M&E Engineer Jack Brady Structural Engineer Kieran Walsh
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The two massive fireplaces were conserved and consolidated, but not restored. The conservation architects felt that a full restoration would have involved an unacceptable level of conjecture. A modern viewing platform was installed at roof level. Precast concrete beams had to be lifted by crane over the crennellated parapets and carefully positioned in place. The floor was finished with limestone paving and the window openings fitted with iron grilles. In order to start the conservation work to the exterior of the keep, scaffolding had to be installed to the full height of the tower. Before any masonry works commenced, a full photogrammetric survey of the exterior features and all stonework was undertaken.
A wildlife survey was commissioned to determine the roosting sites for bats and the nesting for swifts. The conservation architects decided to leave nest sites for the swifts where they had colonised the top half of the tower. Works commenced at the top of the tower with the conservation of the crennellated parapets. Those in poorest condition were taken down and reset. Work continued down the tower at the various levels to the ground. At 2nd floor level, the beam sockets on the exterior were found to have the remains of some of the original timber still in position. After laboratory analysis, it was established that the timber possibly dated to the 13th century.
As well as repairing and conserving the fabric of the Keep, the provision of services (such as lighting, under floor heating, emergency lighting, fire and intruder alarm systems etc.) was also introduced, ensuring that the structure complied with evolving building standards. The conservation works and re-use of this most impressive Keep will do much to safeguard and prolong its life for many years to come. The culmination of several years of conservation works was marked by a re-opening ceremony, attended by President Michael D. Higgins on 6th June 2012. Flora O’Mahony Nenagh Castle is open every Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 4.30pm (last admission is at 3.45pm). Admission is free.
1 View of Nenagh Castle from the town park 2 Ground floor reception 3 Internal staircase 4 The modern viewing platform at roof level with views of surrounding landscape All photographs: © National Monuments Service, D/AHG
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