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Additional stories are missing from the top of the tower. An attacker would have been targeted by the arrow slits and windows, which also give fine views of the landscape. The ivy is no longer on the tower (as of 2009-10).

Close-up of the castle, including “Raleigh's window,” from the south. Note (to the right) the arrow slit in the staircase/garderobe tower on the same level as the window. Defense was paramount in the original castle design. The loop also serves as…

This shows the tower house from the vantage point of the marsh or seasonal lake to the south. The doorway at the bottom is formed from a pre-existing window loop (i.e., opening) and now leads into the cellar. This indicates use of the cellar as a…

Kilcolman castle stands on a ridge. In the foreground (right) can be see the remains of the south-east corner of the bawn wall, which doubled as the wall of the Great Hall on this side. The Hall and adjacent Parlor are no longer standing.

Staircase/garderobe block of the tower house (on left). The additional building complex (with Parlor and Great Hall) would have stood in the center of this photo. It was attached to the east side of the castle. Remains of the south wall of the Great…

Exterior view from the south of the gothic-style, ogee-headed “Raleigh's window” in the tower house.

Because it is on a ridge, the castle from this direction would have looked even more imposing (the castle would also have had at least two more stories, including parapets). The castle would also have had a "bawn" (i.e., enclosure) wall directly in…

In Spenser's day, the castle would have been taller, and a bawn wall enclosing the castle yard would have stood between the viewer and the castle. The Ballyhoura mountain range can barely be seen in the distance.

Spenser's residence in the castle…

In the foreground is the nineteenth-century platform or patio. The marshy, seasonal lake to the south of the tower is partly filled with water. The Ballyhoura range of mountains can be glimpsed in the distance to the east and south of the tower.

The nineteenth-century platform addition is in the foreground. The Ballyhoura range of mountains can be glimpsed in the distance. To the south of the castle (in the background) is a marsh and seasonal lake, now part of a nature preserve.

Spenser,…