Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Bastioned fort
Townparks (galway By., St. Nicholas Par.), County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Townparks (galway By., St. Nicholas Par.)
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.27148, -9.04683
- SMR number
- GA094-099002-
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 summit at SW end of a steep-sided ridge overlooking Galway town to WNW and the approaches to its harbour and Loch an tSáile to S. Built in 1601-3 on the site of Augustinian friary (GA094-099003-), the church of which was incorporated into its plan. No visible surface trace survives of St Augustine's Fort, as it was known, but early 17th-C plans and various accounts of it exist (Hardiman 1846, 96-8, 108-22). These indicate that it was a massive earth and stone-faced construction (H c. 6m), square in plan (L/Wth c. 60m), with salient angle-bastions at each corner. It was encircled by a fosse, the entrance with gatehouse and drawbridge being situated midway along E side. Completely demolished in 1643: its former existence is preserved in the name of an adjacent graveyard (see GA094-099001-). (Walsh 1981, 64-76, 79-85; Kerrigan 1980, 137)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993).
Date of upload: 05 August 2010
Nearby in the register
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Religious house - Augustinian friarsunder 1 mi
- Dovecoteunder 1 mi
- Historic townunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.