This slender rectangular tower house, measuring just 14½ by 12 feet internally, takes its name from an earthen rampart or ‘lios’ that once surrounded it; though this defensive earthwork was dismantled for fertiliser in the early 19th century, the castle itself remains a striking landmark. Built with thick rubble walls reinforced by alternating long and short cut stone quoins, the tower originally contained five floors, with stone vaulted ceilings still visible over the first and third levels.

The castle’s compact interior reveals the ingenuity of medieval defensive architecture. Entry is gained through a pointed doorway on the east wall, leading to a lobby protected by an overhead murder hole; a feature designed to rain down unpleasantries on unwelcome visitors. A spiral staircase tucked into the southeast corner provides access to the upper floors, each lit by narrow windows and equipped with garderobes built into the thick walls. The second and third floors boasted fireplaces set into the eastern wall, whilst the topmost level included a small attic room beneath the battlemented parapet. At some point in the 17th century, a two storey house was built against the western face of the tower, though only the ghost of its roofline remains visible on the castle wall today.

Lissamota’s history reads like a who’s who of Anglo Irish nobility and conflict. Originally associated with the Desmond family, the castle passed through numerous hands over the centuries, including the Bishop of Limerick in 1296, various members of the Confederate Wars, and eventually Sir Allen Broderick, ancestor of Lord Middleton, in 1665. The tower saw military action when it was seized from J. Roe Lacie by Carew’s forces in 1599, and later suffered confiscation when William Collum joined the Confederates in 1641. Despite these tumultuous changes in ownership, the castle remained inhabited well into the late 18th century, with a Mr George Cornwall as one of its last residents, which accounts for its remarkable state of preservation today.