This tower house belonged to the De Lacy family, a Norman family, and was built in the 15th century.
It is also known with the name of Ballynoe Castle and is within the Ballynoe graveyard, on a low hill overlooking Bruree and the River Maigue.
I think this was the first time I had visited a castle which is in a graveyard, or to have visited a graveyard with a castle in it.
The building has a rectangular plan, the southeast corner is totally destroyed and the inner of the castle is exposed.
There's a pointed arch doorway in the north-northwest (340°) wall.
Every access to the ruins is blocked with fences due to the unsafe nature of the building.
The castle was destroyed by the Cromwellian army in 1649, and today is in ruins, only the north side of the building survives, totally overgrown with ivy.
Within the same graveyard there's a Church of Ireland church built in 1812.
We came here for the first time on June 10th, 2001.
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