Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Castle - ringwork
Lea, County Laois, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Lea
- County
- Laois
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- NULL
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.15589, -7.14771
- SMR number
- LA005-006002-
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 LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Large Anglo-Norman fortress (LA005-006-) situated in low lying ground close to the S bank of river Barrow. In the nineteenth century the castle (LA005-006-) was described as 'the ruins of the central keep, surrounded by a very extensive fortified bawn, whose walls on the north side are washed by the Barrow when it is in flood. Originally it was surrounded by a broad water-trench (Wth 10m). The remains of the gateway, containing the portcullis was a small castle in itself. The keep was an oblong building, having a large round tower at each angle (the northern one alone now stands), similar in construction to the Le Marshall Castle of Carlow (JKAS 1904, iv, pp. 344-5). This water filled fosse or trench may be the remains of an earlier ringwork which was built to accomodate a wooden castle and/or to fortify an early stone castle.
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 17 December 2007
Nearby in the register
- Castle - Anglo-Norman masonry castleunder 1 mi
- Settlement deserted - medievalunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.