Site of Clonmeen Court, Clonmeen North, Co. Cork
On a plateau overlooking the Blackwater River valley to the north, the remains of Clonmeen Court tell the story of a 17th-century house that once stood as a testament to Ireland's turbulent past.
Site of Clonmeen Court, Clonmeen North, Co. Cork
Built by Sir Richard Kyrle, a Cromwellian officer, this fortified residence appears on an 1842 Ordnance Survey map as a square area measuring about 20 metres across. Today, visitors will find only a level area slightly raised above the surrounding field, with a disused quarry to the south that has gradually eaten into what was once the court’s footprint.
The most substantial remnants of the estate lie immediately to the east, where a rectangular walled enclosure stretches approximately 70 metres northwest to southeast and 65 metres southwest to northeast. Sections of the northwest wall showcase well-cut, random-coursed limestone blocks that likely formed part of the original court’s garden enclosure. This enclosure appears to have been repurposed over time, possibly rebuilt in connection with a now-abandoned parochial school that sits at the southeast end of the northeast wall.
By 1750, the house had become home to Cornelius O’Callaghan, but it seems to have been abandoned by 1838, leaving behind these fragmentary reminders of its existence. The site’s historical significance is enhanced by its proximity to other medieval structures; Clonmeen church and graveyard lie just 100 metres to the northeast, whilst Clonmeen Castle stands further to the east, creating a landscape rich with archaeological interest spanning several centuries of Irish history.