Clough Castle

Clough Castle stands on a grassy mound in County Down, Northern Ireland. Built in the 12th century, it is an Anglo-Norman motte-and-bailey castle. A ruined tower house crowns the 7.6-metre-high motte. A small bailey shaped like a crescent lies beside it, separated by a deep ditch. The motte was once defended by a timber palisade of thin posts covered with clay. Behind it were three pits for archers, each with rough loopholes framed by boulders. The castle was constructed by John de Courcy during the 12th century. In the mid-13th century, a stone hall was built inside the palisade but burned down quickly. A stone keep replaced it, and the palisade gave way to an earth bank. The site may have been abandoned in the early 14th century before the keep was rebuilt as a tower house in the 15th or 16th centuries. Archaeologist Dudley Waterman excavated the motte almost completely between 1951 and 1952. Visitors find the remains of the tower house on the motte’s summit. The crescent-shaped bailey below holds traces of the earlier stone hall and keep. The deep ditch between them is still visible. The excavation uncovered layers showing the castle’s early defences and occupation. The site offers a quiet view over the surrounding countryside.