Castles of Tipperary

Farney Castle, Holycross: The Round Tower Castle Lived In as a Home

A round Butler tower from 1495, still a family home, with a porcelain and knitwear studio in the old stables.

Farney Castle stands near Holycross in County Tipperary, a few kilometres from Thurles, and tourism listings describe it as the only round tower in Ireland occupied as a family home. The present tower dates from 1495, it was built by the Butlers, Earls of Ormond, and today it is both a home and the working base of a designer who makes porcelain and knitwear in the old courtyard stables. It is one of the more unusual castles in the county, because it is lived in rather than preserved as a monument.

A Butler tower of 1495

Discover Ireland’s listing gives the castle’s story in broad strokes. A first castle at Farney, a timber structure, is dated to 1185. The round tower that stands now is dated to 1495 and credited to Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, as part of a defensive system that protected the family’s Tipperary lands. The same page says the Butlers held the castle for about 500 years.

Not every source agrees on the detail. Another tourism writer places the stone structure simply at the end of the 15th century. Since the sources are tourism listings rather than a survey, take the 1495 date as the standard local account and not as the last word from the archaeologists.

Why “round”?

Most Irish tower houses are rectangular. A circular plan is much less common, which is the basis of the claim that Farney is the only round tower in Ireland occupied as a family home. That claim comes from tourism material, notably Discover Ireland and the county tourism site, rather than an academic study, so it is fair to repeat it as how the castle is presented. One image caption on the county tourism page even mentions two round towers, which suggests the wording is not tightly controlled. If the exact wording matters to you, ask the castle itself.

A home and a design studio

Today the castle is the home of Irish designer Cyril Cullen. According to Tipperary Tourism, he is a knitwear and porcelain designer who lives there with his family, and his studio is in the converted old stables in the castle courtyard, where his textured Parian porcelain is made. Discover Ireland adds that handmade knitwear and fine porcelain are sold in the castle shop and that visitors can see the design studios. The Parian porcelain is made on site, so the crafts here are porcelain and knitwear. We could not find a source linking any other pottery maker to the castle, so we leave it there.

Visiting

Farney is a private home with a shop and a studio, not a ticketed heritage site. Discover Ireland lists the address as Lisnasella, Holycross, and says tours are available by arrangement, with a suggested 1 to 1.5 hours for a visit. Opening times are not given, and arrangements can change, so use the castle’s own website (linked from the Discover Ireland page) or phone number before you set out. Listings also mention free parking.

Holycross nearby

Farney lies in the Holycross area of County Tipperary. For the wider county, see Castles of Tipperary.

From Ardfinnan

Farney Castle is about 45 km by road from Ardfinnan, roughly three-quarters of an hour by car, passing near Cashel on the way north. Ardfinnan is itself a Norman castle on the Suir, still a private home, and well worth seeing from the village bridge. The two make a neat pair: Ardfinnan a Norman rock-top castle from 1185, still lived in, Farney a Butler round tower from 1495, still lived in, both on the river system that runs through the county.