Clan Rising
Cantwell's Castle today

Ireland · Partial ruin

Cantwell's Castle

Cantwell's Castle is a medieval limestone tower house in the townland of Sandfordscourt, County Kilkenny, Ireland. The four-storey rectangular tower sits within a partly surviving bawn and was the principal residence of the local Cantwell family. The standing fabric retains internal mural stairs, vaulted lower levels, fireplaces on multiple floors and upper window openings.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1600

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 1600

What Cantwell's Castle looked like in its prime.

A compact rectangular limestone tower house, roughly 10m by 8.2m, four storeys high with a flat roofline that originally carried a wall-walk and parapet. The exterior walls are coursed local limestone; upper floors have large paired windows including two ogee-headed openings on the main chamber. The tower is set alone in a broad grassy field, previously enclosed by a low bawn wall and courtyard; entrances and window openings are tall, narrow and Gothic in profile. At its prime the tower was whole, with crenellated parapet and intact bawn.

Its story

The story of Cantwell's Castle.

Cantwell's Castle is a limestone tower house in the townland of Sandfordscourt, County Kilkenny, and served as the main residence of the head of the Cantwell family, who held lands in the parish of Rathcoole, at Cloghscregg and Stroan near Thomastown, and in Tipperary. Though its ownership in its final days has been debated, the facts point to the Cantwells, who withstood a siege by Oliver Cromwell's army and forced it away, even though two of the three castles were significantly damaged.

The four-storey tower, roughly 10 by 8 metres, stands within a partly surviving bawn. Its entrance was secured by a drawbar, still in use, and once a yett as well, with further drawbars guarding Gothic doorways between floors. Unusually, the ground floor has a small fireplace, suggesting accommodation where towers of this type normally kept storage; the third floor held the main lodging, with ogee-headed windows and a wall recess remembered as the hard, narrow bed of Cantwell.

After the Sandford family went extinct, the land passed to Thomas Cahill, the eighteenth-century farmer who almost completely dismantled the bawn wall and died in 1810. A drawbar slot discovered by a member of the present owners' family, stranded in Ireland during the first COVID lockdown, suggests a gate once opened towards a road to the south-west.

Step inside

11 places to explore in 1600.

The record describes 11 distinct spots at Cantwell's Castle, including 7 interiors: mural staircase, ground floor chamber, first floor (storage) and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach across the meadow (south‑east)Bawn and courtyardMain entrance (south‑east)Mural staircaseGround floor chamberFirst floor (storage)Second floor, HallThird floor, main chamber with ogee windowsAttic and upper windowsWall‑walk and parapet (roof level)Murder‑hole above entrance

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Whose castle

Clans who held Cantwell's Castle.

The families that held Cantwell's Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Cantwell

    Main residence of the head of the Cantwell family, held through the Cromwellian siege.

  • Sandford

    The Sandford family of Sandfordscourt held the land until the line went extinct in the 18th century.

Questions about Cantwell's Castle

What is the history of Cantwell's Castle?

Cantwell's Castle is a medieval tower house built as the principal residence of the head of the Cantwell family. It stood within a bawn and served both residential and defensive purposes. In 1649, its garrison negotiated with Oliver Cromwell's approaching army; the Cantwells retained control, although two of the three castles were significantly damaged.

What is inside Cantwell's Castle?

Inside Cantwell's Castle are a mural staircase, vaulted lower levels, a ground-floor chamber, a storage floor and a hall with a fireplace and garderobe. The upper levels include the former main accommodation, ogee-headed windows, a narrow bed recess, an attic and upper windows. Murder-holes and drawbars survive as defensive features.

Why was Cantwell's Castle built, and what was it used for?

Cantwell's Castle was built as the main residence of the head of the Cantwell family, with defensive features for protection. Its ground floor may also have provided accommodation, unusually for a tower house of this type, where the ground floor was usually used for storage. It later served as a garrison.

Where is Cantwell's Castle?

Cantwell's Castle is in Sandfordscourt, County Kilkenny, approximately 7.5 km from Kilkenny City. It stands in the southern part of the townland, formerly known as Cantwellscourt. The castle is located in the parish of Rathcoole.

Was Cantwell's Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Cantwell's Castle was besieged by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1649. Its garrison negotiated with Cromwell as he approached Kilkenny, offering the castle in exchange for permission to retreat from Ireland. Cromwell accepted their terms, and the Cantwells retained control, although two of the three castles were significantly damaged.

Which family or clan held Cantwell's Castle?

The Cantwell family held Cantwell's Castle as the main residence of the head of the family. The Sandford family of Sandfordscourt later held the land until its line went extinct in the eighteenth century. After that, the land passed to Thomas Cahill, who almost completely dismantled the bawn wall.

What did Cantwell's Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Cantwell's Castle was a compact rectangular limestone tower house, roughly 10m by 8.2m and four storeys high. Its walls were built of coursed local limestone, with tall Gothic openings and large paired upper windows, including ogee-headed openings. A crenellated parapet and wall-walk stood above the tower, which was enclosed by a bawn and courtyard.

Is Cantwell's Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Cantwell's Castle is still standing as a partial ruin. The four-storey tower survives within a partly surviving bawn, but the first and third floors are floorless, and the courtyard wall was almost completely dismantled by Thomas Cahill in the eighteenth century. Internal stairs, vaulted lower levels, fireplaces and upper window openings remain.

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