Drombany Dovecote

Map Reference: R609519 (1609, 1519)



Nothing is known about the history of this unusual octagonal dovecot. It is marked as a castle on the OS maps and this may indicate that may be associated with a missing castle. The building is greatly overgrown and much of the exterior detail is obscured. It may be entered through flat-headed doorway in the south-west. Much of the worked stone of the jambs seems to be missing.



The dovecote is about 5m high and the interior walls are lined with hundreds of dove roosts.



Dovecotes are found at a number of monastic sites including Kilcooly Abbey, Co Tipperary and Ballybeg Priory, Buttevant, Co Cork. Originally it was thought that the dovecotes provided fresh meat during the winter months but modern scholars think the main season was during the summer months when young doves were fully grown but had not yet begun to fly.