Stabilisation of a 13th-century castle ruin using traditional lime mortars.

Built in 1226, Castleisland Castle required careful intervention to make the ruin safe and return it to the community as a resilient heritage asset. Working within a restricted site, vegetation and embedded organic material were removed before failed cement and lime mortars were raked out, up to 150mm deep in places, without disturbing the fragile masonry.

The walls were repointed and rebedded using an approved lime mortar, with local pinning, masonry stitching and stone insertion stabilising weakened or incomplete areas. Lime flaunching protected exposed sections where facing stone had been lost, while wall heads were consolidated against further water ingress. All work proceeded under specialist and archaeological monitoring, with careful protection throughout curing. Completed within a demanding 14-week programme, the project preserved as much original fabric as possible while strengthening the castle against future weathering.