“Then there will be a great chamber with a vaulted ceiling where parties can be held and a roof terrace where you can walk the ramparts before retiring for the night. The ancient garderobe on the ground floor will be turned into a wine cellar and the medieval courtyard will become an al-fresco dining area.”

His blueprint is inspired by two of Cork’s other medieval mementos. “Barryscourt Castle in Carrigtwohill was restored by Duchas to show the public how these monuments were built, so that’s a great insight into how to attempt a similar project. The only drawback is that it’s not laid out as a house. You can’t tell from Barryscourt what type of furniture works in a tower house,” he says.

To understand the castle restoration process, there’s only one man to speak to in Co Cork. “Richard, my son, was in Trinity with (the actor) Jeremy Irons’s son, so we’re planning to visit Kilcoe quite soon and I’m eager to hear the whole saga,” he says.

While it took Irons several years of piecemeal work to restore his castle — which is now a controversial rusty pink — Inston is bullish about his projected timescale.

“Once we get the green light from Duchas, I think we can turn it (Cregg Castle) around in 12 months, barring unforeseen delays. After four years on Castlehyde, I have the contacts in Cork to flood it with workers and craftsmen within days,” he says.

Should there be a delay, Inston won’t be idle. “Now that we’ve had a breather, I’ll sit down with Michael and put the finishing touches to Castlehyde. There are still one or two niggling jobs that need to be finished.

“I’m also in the process of restoring Taymouth Castle in Scotland, a 500-acre estate where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert honeymooned. It’s the most important castle in private ownership in Scotland,” he says.

Inston has clear long-term plans for his property portfolio.

“Our plan is to hang on to the castles and co-manage them as luxury lets,” he says. “We will aim for the very top of the market, those that want to escape to Ireland for a week or even a year and live like kings in their own castle. If our visitors want butlers, cooks, maids or drivers, we can provide that. Or if they want grooms or gillies, it’s no problem. That’s the dream, isn’t it? Relaxing in a battered leather armchair with a glass of old Jameson, with the game you caught earlier that day gently roasting on a spit in the great chamber,” he says.

Should Inston fail to attract enough wannabe squires, Cork’s robust property market should come to his rescue.

“The scheme sounds crazy and romantic, but it’s really a no-risk venture,” he says. “Even my bank manager agrees. If we fail to get the business, the booming market should mean we still turn a profit.

“I made sure all the castles were within commuting distance of Cork and they’re all on rivers, so they’re the type of properties that are always going to be sought after.”

Inston is so convinced of this logic that he is mulling over a bid for a fourth tower house. “I keep chancing upon them, but I’ll have to stop soon before I’m bankrupt,” he says.

All priced between €100,000 and €400,000, Inston snapped up his trio of tumbledown towers for a snip. Fully restored, they could fetch seven-figure sums.

“Once people realise they’re not cold and draughty but warm and inviting, they’re bound to rise in value,” he says. “Their history will also woo buyers. Belvelly Castle was once owned by Sir Walter Raleigh, and Cregg Castle was owned by Edmund Spenser, who wrote a classic verse, The Faerie Queene, an allegory in praise of Elizabeth I. That sense of history strikes a chord with visitors, particularly Americans with Irish links.”

With positive noises emanating from the planners, it looks like Irons will have a rival for the title of king of the castle. Just hope he doesn’t start giving out spare pink paint.

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