Irish Castle or Tower House.

  
The original of this tower house was carved in wonderful detail from  hard carving wax and then cast in cold bronze.  The Ballybeg Village artist - who has trained in Irish archaeology - incorporated many of the features of Irish tower Houses including the crenellations (battlements), loop windows, roof style, chimney, machicolation (the protrusion from the wall through which defenders poured oil and shot arrows and muskets balls).  The widening of the base of the castle is called 'batter'.  This served many purposes.  The batter obviously gave great strength to the castle and was the foundation upon which such a huge structure was built.  It also made undermining the walls by attackers less probable.  And yet another reason for the batter was that rocks dropped from the top of the castle would bounce from the batter and outwards at any attackers foolhardy enough to approach the walls.  

This miniature Irish Tower House from Ballybeg Village is cast in Cold Cast Bronze.  It boasts many of the features of real Irish Castle/Tower Houses.

 

 

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