Ballytarsna Castle, Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland.

Ballytarsna Castle 2005 / computer generated.

BALLYTARSNA CASTLE UPDATE - JAN 2000:
    INTRODUCTION
    HISTORY
    RESTORATION:
           PHASE I
           PHASE II
           PHASE III
    THE BAWN
    GOAL
BALLYTARSNA CASTLE UPDATE - MARCH 2000:
    STONE & LIME WORKSHOP

I first came to Ireland in 1985 to look at the numerous small castles with an eye for future acquisition and restoration. I was impressed by the friendliness of the Irish people, as well as the vast number of castles which were available for purchase. We returned in August 1998 with intent to purchase one of four castles which we knew to be for sale, none of which was Ballytarsna.

After spending one frustrating month "haggling" with owners who sought to run up the price, we took to the road and began to look for another castle. Our first day led us to Ballytarsna, simply because it was indicated on our map. We jumped the fence and after only 30 minutes of inspection, we knew that this castle was better than any of the others we had seen, as far as being restorable was concerned. We concluded the purchase of both tower house and bawn foundations seven months later, dealing with three landowners in the process. No one was aware that the nearly vanished bawn was even there.

I have wanted to buy and restore a castle since I was nine years old. It was no small triumph to finally acquire what I view as a prime example of a late 15th century Irish tower house and bawn. I definitely wanted to have a bawn, and not just an isolated tower. Ballytarsna is exactly what we had hoped to find. For each piece that is missing, one exists, somewhere else in the castle. Simply put, we know what we have to do to return this tower house to its original condition.

The history of the castle is sketchy and elusive at best. From the various historical surveys and histories we have read, we have pieced the following history together. Please note that this information is not exact, nor can it all be verified. Ballytarsna Castle was most likely built at the end of the 15th century. Both tower house and bawn were definitely built at the same time as evidenced by the bonding of the bawn wall into the structure of the tower. The recorded builder of the castle is a Sir William Hackett, a descendant of the Anglo-Norman settlers of Kildare and Kilkenny.

Ballytarsna Castle became the principal Hackett stronghold in the area in succession to Ballysheehan. In 1654, the castle was occupied by Patrick Hackett. The civil survey of 1654 has this to say: There is on the sayd lands one good Bawn & a Castle wanting repaire, with severall small cottages. As late as 1890 J.D. white said ... It would not take much to make it livable again. Although it would appear that the castle gradually fell into disuse in the late 17th century, sadly, most of the damage has been inflicted during the last 100 years.

Our intent is simple: To carefully restore the tower house as authentically as possible, while cautiously installing modern utilities without being intrusive on either the structure or medieval ambiance of the castle. We have developed our plans accordingly. We feel that it is risky business to drastically restore a structure that has been open and wet for centuries, in a single great effort (one year). These structures will begin to shift as they dry out and warm up. If these two conditions are suddenly imposed upon an old structure, cracked plaster or even cracked walls can be the result. Our plan is conservative, as well as patient, and consists of three phases, to be carried out over a four year period.

Phase One
Phase one was carried out in summer of 1999. This consisted of blocking up two massive breaches in the ground floor wall, restoring the quoins and facing to the sloping batter, paving the ground floor with a temporary working surface, repairing the stairs, and installing a purpose-made temporary metal roof, as well as temporary safety rails to the top of the tower. Iron doors were installed to the main entrance and wall-walk door, as well as temporary windows to all openings. Basic site preparation was also carried out at this time. Note that all replaced openings at ground floor are defensive in nature, as the originals certainly would have been, and are modeled after existing arrow slits.

Phase Two
Phase two will begin two years later, after the tower has had time to dry out properly and most movement of the structure will have taken place. The tower will be scaffolded from top to bottom, as well as on all four sides. The permanent oak and slate roof will be installed, as well as the crenellation restored to its original condition. The entire exterior of the tower will be pointed with lime mortar. At this time, all of the newly cut, fine gothic pointed windows will be installed where the old ones have vanished. After all this is complete, the entire tower will be harled, or wet dashed. While this procedure may offend some sensibilities, it is the way the tower was. There is evidence of harling all over the tower. This was done to seal out the ill effects of rain and wind. The fact that the tower was harled is probably the only reason it still stands today. The harling has worn away and mellowed over time, but the masonry has remained. The structure will be kept dry, as well as warmer once this protective coating is reapplied. It is composed of lime mortar and rough sand, and will not be applied to quoins or any other cut stone feature. The castle will attain a white appearance after harling, as it did when it was first built. This whiteness will mellow over a few years time. This procedure will ensure the survival of the castle for generations to come..

Between now and the beginning of phase two, there is much to accomplish to prepare for all this work. The gable will be raised to its full height and the wall plate will be restored in order to receive the new roof. The interior of the tower will also be partially repointed and damaged walls rebuilt.

Phase Three
Phase three will begin one or two years later. This will include complete restoration of the interior of the tower. The walls will be lime washed with white lime or plastered with pure white lime plaster. The oak floors will then be installed under each stone vault at 1st & 3rd floor level. Utilities and heating will be installed, to include electrical under-floor heating on 2nd & 4th floors. Three fireplaces will be restored to working order and a novel stone, oil-fired radiation system will be installed. All three garderobes will be made functional. All utilities will be routed through the garderobe shaft to a small utility building. At this time, the tower house will be finished and livable.

The Bawn
Over the next several years, all 609 feet of the bawn wall will be reconstructed on top of existing foundations. The wall will be 12 feet high and 4 to 6 feet thick as was the original, with 5¬Ω foot crenellation installed, copying those at Ballyragget castle. Several stone buildings will gradually line the interior of the bawn wall over the years. We intend to rebuild the wattle and daub hall that once adjoined the west face of the tower. The roof line of this hall can clearly be seen today on the west face of the tower. Archeology will reveal the exact dimensions of this structure.

Goal
Our goal is to make the visitor to Ballytarsna Castle feel that he\she has been transported back to the mid 16th century. The computer generated view of the castle will give you an idea of how it should look in about 7 years time, approx. 2007. Please note that a small square tower on the west bawn wall is suspected to exist by ourselves and a few architects. It is purely conjectural and will only be built when proven by sound archeological evidence. The computer generated view is limited to “square” shapes, so the pointed merlon tops of the crenellation on the tower house are depicted as flat on top. The “stepped” appearance of the gable is also a computer limitation, and will actually be diagonally smooth and unbroken.

HANDS ON EXPERIENCE
- mixing lime mix
- slaking lime putty
- mixing lime mortar
- raking out stone joints
- repointing stone joints
- wet dashing walls
- grouting castle walls
- pitching stone
- tooling (punching) ashlar stone
- assisting Master mason at work

Stay a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Must be prepared to work! Lunch, morning tea and scones, and afternoon tea provided. We do our work the traditional way, with traditional materials. Our masons and stone carvers are professionals, volunteering for this special project. Come participate in the restoration of a 15th century castle and take advantage of a unique opportunity to learn medieval masonry skills on a real medieval castle. We work weekdays only. Weekends are for touring, and other leisure activities.

This Web Page Address (URL)> http://www.tartanplace.com/tartanillus/thurles/ballytarsnab.htm

Image processing / graphic design / web page, by Tipp Web Ltd - 19 Jan 2000, updated 14 March 2000.