Castle, Annagh, Co. Tipperary
Perched on a rocky outcrop above Annagh Lake, with sweeping views across to Lough Derg, stand the weathered remains of Annagh Castle.
Castle, Annagh, Co. Tipperary
This four-storey tower house, once owned by John Hurly in 1640, was already described as ‘an old castle the walls onely standing’ when surveyors visited in the 1650s. Today, only its south and west walls survive intact, yet these limestone ruins still reveal the sophisticated defensive architecture that once protected its inhabitants.
The tower house measures roughly 13 metres east to west and 10 metres north to south, with walls over two metres thick; a formidable structure built from roughly coursed limestone rubble. Its original entrance on the east wall led to a lobby with small chambers above, all accessed via spiral stairs tucked into the southeast corner. The castle’s builders included numerous defensive features: a garderobe chute, secret chambers hidden within window embrasures on the northwest angles of both the second and third floors, and various mural passages connecting different levels. The second floor retains its original barrel vault ceiling, whilst the other floors would have been timber.
The windows tell their own story of the castle’s evolution, ranging from simple slits that once held wooden shutters to more elaborate openings on the upper floors. Particularly striking is an ogee-headed window on the third floor, later reworked into a flat-headed triple-light window decorated with lozenge patterns, likely dating from the seventeenth century. Stone footings extending from the southeast corner suggest the tower once stood within a bawn wall, creating an enclosed courtyard typical of Irish tower houses. Though time has taken its toll, these ruins offer a remarkable glimpse into the daily life and defensive concerns of a minor Irish lordship, complete with slop stones beneath windows, wall walks for sentries, and the practical necessity of multiple garderobes served by an intricate network of passages.





