Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

According to Bradley et al. (1986 vol. 4, 351), Lattin's Castle stood on the W side of North Main Street and was described by Cooper in 1782 as 'a small square castle of very ancient appearance'. It may have been either a fortified house or a small tower house (Price 1942, 28). In 1997, archaeological monitoring (Licence no. 97E0151: www.excavations.ie) of the mechanical excavation of a pipe trench at the presumed location of Lattin's Castle, led to the discovery of the foundations of a stone building or buildings which are probably the remains of the castle. The building was approximately 19m wide externally and 13.5m wide internally on the north-south axis. Towards the north end of the building there was one cobbled surface, suggesting that there may have been an entrance through the east wall of the castle at this point. The trench in which the wall foundations were located curved slightly from north to south; the wall was 7m east of the street building line at its northern end and 6.4m east of the street building line at its southern end. According to Bradley et al. (op. cit. 372), a Bridewell (KD019-030036-) is thought to have stood near Lattin's castle.

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Date of upload: 10 June 2011

References

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1986 Urban Archaeological Survey - County Kildare (4 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Price, L. (ed.) 1942 An eighteenth-century antiquary: the sketches, notes and Diaries of Austin Cooper, 1759-1880. Dublin.