Loughmoe Castle

Map Reference: S115672 (2115, 1672)



Loughmoe (or Loughmore) Castle consists of a massive tower-house with a fine mansion attached to the north side. This mansion has projecting wings at the NW and SE corners and is four storeys high plus attic. The doorway was at first floor level.



View from the South

The top storey is fragmentary but there is a portion of a round gable at the top of one of the projecting wings. There are many mullioned and transomed windows and at least nine fireplaces. There is a good string course at each level.



The Purcell fireplace

The entrance to the tower-house is in its north wall. It is a fine double doorway with a murder-hole guarding the space. This leads from a recess on the first floor.



The murder-hole

There are corbels for bartizans along the top of the north and south walls and a machicolation on the west wall. The tower is vaulted above the ground floor and above the second floor. The room at first floor level has a very fine fireplace featuring coats of arms and foliage as well as the initials F.P. (This is a Purcell castle).



Interior of the mansion viewed from the tower

A spiral stairway rises in the NE corner. There is a passage in the west wall at the first floor and another in the east wall has a garde-robe. Another garde-robe directly above this shares a latrine chute. The roof is missing but the room above the second vault has a blind arcade in the east and west walls. A mural stairway leads to roof level. There is the usual pecked decoration at the doorways and some fine hinge-stones at the windows and doorways. The tower has rounded corners and the windows are mostly small.



The underside of the upper vault



Slop-stone at the top room



The top room



For more photos of Loughmoe Castle click HERE