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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Gatehouse

Clonroad Beg, County Clare, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Gatehouse, Clonroad Beg, County Clare, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Clonroad Beg
County
Clare
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
52.84241, -8.98335
SMR number
CL033-082033-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1753 map "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1753 · Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Get directions ↗

This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the S end of Ennis historic town (CL033-082----). According to Ua Cróinín and Breen (1992, 6), cited in Ó Dálaigh (2012, 2) a small castle (CL033-082007-) and gatehouse were built at the southern entry to the town in the second half of the 15th century. A pictorial map of Ennis made in 1703 by Thomas Moland as part of a major survey of the Thomond estate shows the basic street pattern with the market-house (CL033-082012-) at the junction of the three main streets. At the S end of what is now O’Connell St., a large building with tall chimneys on the gables and an archway in its centre, is visible straddling the street. Although not a walled town, the island nature of the town allowed this gate to mark a significant entrance into the town from the S. Its former arch was described in the Clare Freeman newspaper (18.1.1873). A gaol described as ‘lately erected’ in 1595 (CL033-082013-) may have been at this location. From 1713 this was also the location of the County Gaol. Now in use as a bar and restaurant. A tower house (CL033-082007-) is extant at the core of the adjoining Old Ground Hotel.

Compiled by: Mary Tunney

Date of upload: 19 May 2014

References

Ó Dálaigh, B. 2012 Irish Historic Towns Atlas, No. 25. Ennis. Royal Irish Academy. Dublin.

Ua Cróinín, R. and Breen, M. 1992 The hidden towers. The Other Clare 16, 5-10.

Ó Dálaigh, B. 1987 Thomas Moland's survey of Ennis, 1703. The Other Clare 11, 12-17.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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