Cashlan Brock, Garrymona, Co. Offaly

Cashlan Brock, Garrymona, Co. Offaly

Perched on a limestone outcrop in Garrymona, County Offaly, the remnants of Cashlan Brock tower house offer a glimpse into medieval Irish defensive architecture.

Cashlan Brock, Garrymona, Co. Offaly

The structure, likely dating from the late medieval period, was built using substantial limestone blocks quarried from the surrounding landscape. What remains today are the ghostly outlines of what was once a formidable fortified residence, with its eastern wall still standing at 11.3 metres in length and rising three courses high, featuring the characteristic base batter that helped deflect projectiles and strengthen the foundation.

The tower house’s footprint reveals a rectangular plan, with portions of the southern and northern walls still visible, each measuring approximately 11 metres long and 1.5 metres thick; substantial dimensions that speak to its defensive purpose. The western wall has completely vanished, whilst significant collapse is evident at both the southeastern and northeastern corners, where time and weather have taken their toll on the masonry. These ruins were first formally documented during the Irish Tourist Association Survey in 1942, though local knowledge of the site stretches back much further.



Tower houses like Cashlan Brock were the preferred dwelling of the Gaelic and Anglo-Norman gentry from the 15th to 17th centuries, serving as both home and fortress during turbulent times. Their elevated positions, as seen here, provided strategic advantages for surveillance and defence whilst also asserting the owner’s status in the landscape. Though now reduced to weathered walls and tumbled stones, these remains continue to mark an important chapter in Offaly’s architectural heritage, standing as a testament to the county’s medieval past.

0.0/5

Good to Know

Tags

Visitor Notes

Review type for post source and places source type not found
Added by
Picture of IrishHistory.com
IrishHistory.com
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Cashlan Brock, Garrymona, Co. Offaly. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Name
Email
Message
Upload images/documents
Maximum file size: 50 MB
If you'd like to add an image or a PDF please do it here.

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.’ Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).
Garrymona, Co. Offaly
53.22595183, -7.23218179
53.22595183,-7.23218179
Garrymona 
Tower Houses 

Related Places