Castle - motte and bailey

The National Monuments Service's description

This is one of three ‘castles’ erected by Prince John in 1185 (AFM, iii, 67); the other two castles being Ardfinnan (TS088-001001-) and Lismore (WA021-019001-). These were erected to provide a fortified border between his demesne land in Waterford and the frontier lands in Leinster, the midlands and Munster, most especially the kingdoms of Mac Carthaigh in Desmond and Ó Briain in Thomond. Domhnall Mór Ó Briain, king of Thomond, rightly viewed these newly erected castles as a threat to his lordship and the garrison at Tibberaghny was attacked by his ‘men of Limerick’ on 24 June of that year where ‘the death of the noble Irishman Oggravus along with many others…’ is recorded (Scott and Martin 1978, 351-2). The Annals of Lough Cé note that ‘Ruaidhri O’Gradha and Ruaidhri O’Conaing were slain by Foreigners in the slaughter of the castle of Tipraid-Fachtna.’ (Hennessy 1871, 171). In this attack, it would appear that the Anglo-Normans were victorious. This castle is not mentioned again in the historical documents.

The motte was described by Orpen (1909, 324) as ‘about 30 feet [9.15m] high, with flat, circular top, 18 paces in diameter. The bailey appears to have been mainly towards the north, following the shape of the rising ground, with faint traces of a levelled fosse and vallum. Probably these originally joined the mote-fosse and vallum at the south-east and south-west corners, so as to include the mote.’ This monument was levelled in the 1970s (SMR file).

Compiled by: Paul Walsh

Date of upload: 11 September 2017

References

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

Orpen, G.H. 1909 Motes and Norman castles in Ossory. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 39, 313-42.

Scott, A.B. and Martin, F.X. (eds) 1978 Expugnatio Hibernica: the conquest of Ireland by Giraldus Cambrensis. A new history of Ireland, ancillary publications, iii. Dublin. Royal Irish Academy.

Hennessy, W.M. (ed. and trans.) 1871 (Reprint 1939) The Annals of Loch Cé. A chronicle of Irish affairs from A.D. 1014 to A.D. 1590. 2 vols. Oxford/Cambridge/Edinburgh/Dublin.