Gatehouse

The National Monuments Service's description

In level mixed tillage and pasture, forming the E side of a possible bawn (KD030-007001-), at the E edge of a farmyard some 800m E of the S-flowing River Barrow. A ruined Religious House (KD030-005----), possibly belonging to the Knights Hospitallers, stands c. 40m to the WNW and a church (KD030-006----) and graveyard (KD030-006001-) stand c. 40m to the NNW. A very poorly preserved totally overgrown, rectangular structure (traceable L 14m N-S; Wth 5.8m E-W) is defined by a N gable wall and an E sidewall (av. T 0.95m) built of rubble limestone masonry. A short portion of thick cross-wall (L 2.3m E-W; T 1.9m) sub-divides the structure into a N guard house or chamber, which only survives to one storey in height and which has a blocked loop in its E wall, and a S barrel-vaulted passage way, blocked on E wall face, above which portion of a second storey survives. Traces of an intramural stairs are visible in the internal dividing wall at first floor level, carried on an internal squinch. (Carroll 1892, 111)

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy

Date of upload: 30 September 2013

References

Carroll, The Rev. J. 1892 Remains in Athy and neighbourhood, Journal of the Kildare Archaeological Society 1, 102-112.