The Fantstown Tower

As mentioned in the previous post, Ned Moloney took me on a tour of the Fants Tower House. 

We began in the room above that door there.  Ned showed me where the windlass had been, for pulling up the portcullis. He then pointed to the floor where the murder hole had been. We mentioned "boiling oil" and laughed about the fate of imagined enemies. I thought the tour would end there, but he continued showing me everything, all the way to the top. It took about a half hour. 

The toilet. You're looking down a narrow hallway. Above this one was another toilet separated from this one by stone. The niche on the right was where the moss that served as toilet paper was stored. 

We went up another storey to the great room. Ned explained that when the castle was built, fireplaces were taxed by size, but people avoided taxes by installing iron "barbeques" that were just smaller than the taxable limit. The crown then turned to taxing windows. The castle owners responded by bricking up the windows. He pointed out a narrow window about 6 inches wide and two feet high that still contained its glass. That was the window that was taxed. 

Looking out a window that wasn't taxed.

The Moloneys have opened a few of the bricked up windows since. 

Looking up the next two stories above the great room. The staircase is in that corner behind those two arched doorways. Later, I walked along that ledge to the left to enter the gun box. 

It's dark, but that's the staircase. 

Ceiling of the gun box. 

Holes for guns and crossbows. Ned explained that crossbows would have been more effective than the guns of the time. 

This is looking down at the floor of the door leading to the gunbox. The two doors of the gunbox would shut against this notch on the floor and the men inside could wedge the doors shut. Continuing to fight from there until rescued or defeated. 

Another view of Limerick

Stairs. The second one is an inch taller. Ned explained how the twist of the stair favored the right-handed swordsman, as I have heard before. He explained that the trip step makes it harder for someone not familiar with the castle to ascend. 

Looking down on great room from stairs.

View from on top. 

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