Site of Lisnamrock Castle, Lisnamrock, Co. Tipperary South
On a southwest-facing slope in the uplands of County Tipperary South, the site of Lisnamrock Castle offers commanding views across the surrounding countryside.
Site of Lisnamrock Castle, Lisnamrock, Co. Tipperary South
Though the castle itself no longer stands, its location remains marked by a 19th-century cottage with its accompanying walled farmyard and orchard. The Civil Survey of 1654-6 recorded this as ‘a small castle with an old large bawne & two or three thatcht houses within the bawne’, with Edmond Marnell listed as the owner in 1640. According to local historian John Davis White, writing in 1892, the castle was constructed about 100 yards south of an older house at Lisnamrock.
Today, visitors searching for medieval remains will find no visible traces of the original bawn; a defensive wall that once enclosed the castle grounds. The existing walled farmyard and garden northwest of the castle site likely incorporated rubble from the demolished fortress into their construction, though their relatively thin walls, measuring just 0.6 metres, lack the distinctive base-batter and other defensive features typical of medieval fortifications. These later structures appear entirely domestic in nature, built for agricultural rather than military purposes.
The transformation of this site from medieval stronghold to 19th-century farmstead tells a familiar story of Irish rural landscapes, where practical needs often led to the recycling of ancient stonework. While the castle and its protective bawn have vanished, the location continues to serve its age-old purpose as a dwelling place, taking advantage of the same elevated position and panoramic views that made it attractive to its medieval builders centuries ago.





