24-04-2025
Cork castle to re-open after major renovation
One of the country's finest tower houses dating from the 16th century is to re-open to the public this weekend following extensive renovation and restoration works by the Office of Public Works.
Barryscourt Castle in east Cork was once the seat of thede Barry family, who arrived in Ireland during the Norman invasion of 1172.
Its one of five major OPW Nature Conservation Projects set to re-open in the coming year.
The castle, which dates from 1552, has been extensively restored, and the visitor will now be able to visit the main hall and great hall, as well as the dungeon, master bedroom, kitchen, and the chapel.
The chapel is said to be one of only two such chapels in the country and bears Ogham domestic graffiti believed to be from the 16th century.
The castle is complete with an outer defensive wall or bawn, and largely intact corner towers within which is the herb and knot garden, and the orchard, which have also been restored.
Restoration work to the four-storey castle has been described as "technically challenging" given the problems with water ingress.
It is estimated that over 20 kilometres of repointing was carried out as part of the renovation works.
The great hall is also a maternity site for bats.
The castle first under went restoration work in the 1990s under Duchas, which saw its vaulted roof restored, but water ingress led to dampness and flooding issues within the building.
Those issues combined with electrical faults forced its closure to the public in 2016, when a decision was taken to carry out a major restoration and renovation of the castle.
This afternoon, the Taoiseach Micheal Martin joined the Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Kevin 'Boxer' Moran, to officially re-open the castle, which has been a work of love for the skilled craftspeople from the OPW's District Works in Mallow.
