Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - tower house
Ballydavid Middle, County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballydavid Middle
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Castle (in ruins)
- Latest-edition OS map
- Castle (in Ruins)
- Coordinates
- 53.32034, -8.73449
- SMR number
- GA084-004----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On a low hillock in undulating farmland which falls away gently to the S. This tower house was in existence in 1574 when 'Balledavy' castle was in the possession of 'the Abbay [sic] of Athenry' (Nolan 1901, 121). Only a section of the N wall (L 5m; H c. 9m; wall T 1.6m at base; wall T 1.3m above batter) and a short length of the return of the of adjoining E wall (L 1.5m, H 1m) survive. It is constructed of roughly coursed rubble and mortar. Apart from a noticeable base-batter, the only architectural feature is part of a window ope at the frayed W end of the N wall, c. 4m above ground level. A stony ridge probably marks the position of the W wall, suggesting an E-W length of c. 9-10m. This corresponds closely with Lyons' notes on the castle made in early 20th century which recorded its dimensions as 10.05m by 13.7m (Cody 1989, 344-5). The tower house was built in the NE section of a subrectangular grass-covered platform (22m N-S, 18m E-W) that is defined by a scarp (H 1m). A medieval church (GA098-006001-) lies c. 290m to the SW.
Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG
Date of upload: 18 August 2021
References
Cody, E. 1989 An archaeological survey of the barony of Athenry, Co. Galway. Unpublished MA thesis, University College Galway.
Nolan, J.P. 1901a Galway castles and owners in 1574. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 1, 109-23.
Nearby in the register
- Children's burial groundunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Castle - unclassifiedunder 1 mi
- Moundunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.