Castle - hall-house

The National Monuments Service's description

On level pasture, with a motte (KD022-016----) visible c. 150m to the W, and a church (KD022-018----) and graveyard (KD022-018001-) c. 35m to ENE, and (by association) the possible location of an early castle. The site consists of the very poorly preserved, L-shaped remains of a featureless, one-storied S-corner formed by SE and SW walls (int.dims. L 2.4m NE-SW; Wth 1.3m NW-SE; wall T 1.9m; ext.H 3.5m) built of thin, coursed flags with a very gentle base-batter. Traces of a N corner, 13.5m to NE, and slightly off-line to W, of the S corner, survive as a low, L-shaped mass of mortared masonry without facing-stones (int. dims. L 3.4m NW-SE; Wth 2.1m NE-SW; wall T max.3m; H 0.6-0.9m). Immediately to its S an inaccessible, short, narrow, rectangular, stone-built, subterranean passageway (int. dims. L 1.5m E-W; Wth 1.1m N-S) with a wicker-centered, pointed-arched vaulted roof appears to be a later feature. It is misidentified 'Souterrain' on the current edition (1939) of the OS 6-inch map. Traces of a fosse enclosing a possible bawn (KD022-017001-) to N noted in 1986 (SMR File) are no longer visible at ground level but a low scarp (H 0.8m) may mark its line. The site may have been a late 13th/14th century hall-keep and bawn?

Compiled by: Geaóid Conroy

Date of upload: 06 december 2011