Sketrick Castle


Map Reference: J525625 (3525, 3625)

Sketrick Castle was probably built in the 15th century. The Annals of the Four Masters record its capture in 1470 and it was mentioned several times in the 16th century. It remained fairly intact until the end of the 19th century when half of it collapsed during a storm.



The rectangular building stands to its original four storeys only in the NE corner. The entrance in the E wall was protected by a murder-hole. A straight mural stairway rose to the left of the entrance and continued in the S wall to the second floor level. A spiral stairway near the NE corner gave access to the upper levels. There were four chambers at the ground floor. The large chamber near the middle may have been a boat bay. The small windowless chamber at the NE corner may have been a treasury or a lock-up. There are remains of a bawn wall in the east.



Excavations in 1957 revealed a subterranean passage, stone-lined and lintelled, which ran eastwards under the bawn wall to a corbelled chamber, which covered a fresh water spring. The passage is less than 1m high and about 15m long.









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