Knockagh Castle

Map Reference: S088697 (2088, 1697)



Knockagh Castle is a round tower-house with the entrance in the west. There are traces of four machicolations at roof level but none exactly above the doorway. The entrance is greatly ruined, only about half the worked stone is in place. It is guarded by a murder-hole. To the right is a large guard-chamber with an ambry at the inner end and a fine corbelled roof. To the left, at the end of a short passage, rises a spiral stairway. The entrance to the ground floor room is at the bottom of the stairs but it is not directly opposite the outer doorway, although there is now a large gap here. This castle differs from Ballynahow in that the ground floor windows do not have the large square recesses.





There appears to be only one window at ground floor level. The castle is vaulted above the first floor and the murder-hole leads from a small chamber at the first floor. The stairway is broken above this level and access to the upper floors is difficult. There is only one vault. There are fireplaces at the second, third and fourth floors. There is a chimney stack on the south wall and traces of gables in the east and west walls. At the second floor, in the north wall, is a garderobe and another in the east wall at third floor. The stairway ends at the top floor which is missing, making access to the roof impossible. A number of windows opening off the stairway feature lower hinge-stones.