Castle, Cúil An Mhothair, Co. Cork
In a pasture on the north side of a laneway leading into a farmyard at Cúil An Mhothair, County Cork, loose stones scattered across the ground mark what local tradition holds to be the site of O'Herlihy castle.
Castle, Cúil An Mhothair, Co. Cork
According to historian Healy’s 1988 account, this area has long been associated with the castle, though today no other visible traces of the structure remain above ground. The stones, whether remnants of the original building or later field clearance, serve as the only physical reminder of what once stood here.
The O’Herlihy family, whose name derives from the Irish Ó hIarfhlatha meaning “descendant of the underlord”, held considerable influence in this part of Cork during the medieval period. Like many Irish castles of the era, their stronghold would have served both defensive and administrative purposes; controlling local trade routes, collecting rents from tenant farmers, and providing protection during the frequent territorial disputes that characterised the region. The exact date of the castle’s construction remains uncertain, though it likely dates to sometime between the 15th and 17th centuries, when tower houses and fortified dwellings were common across Munster.
The site was formally recorded in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, Volume 3, published in 1997, which documented Mid Cork’s archaeological heritage. While excavation might reveal foundations, defensive ditches or other subsurface features, the field continues its agricultural use, with only the scattered stones and local memory preserving the connection to the O’Herlihy family’s former seat of power.