Castle - motte and bailey

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in a low-lying area W of the River Barrow. A circular earthen flat-topped motte (summit diam. 13m, H c. 6m) seperated from a bailey at W by an intervening fosse (Wth c. 3m, D c. 2m). The bailey is surrounded by a fosse (Wth c. 4.5m, D c. 4m) at SW.
Aerial photograph (GB91.EA.06) shows cropmark of a wide fosse enclosing the upstanding motte. The levelled bailey is defined by three concentric fosses extending from the modern field boundary on the south-east and extending towards the River Barrow. A concentric ring of pits is located within the bailey. The crop-mark of a levelled trackway or possible medieval road (LA026-045) and small divisions are located south-west of the bailey. A large quarry is located immediately to the SE. The aerial photographs were taken on 15 July 1991.
The above report has been compiled by Dr. G. F. Barrett and supplied to the Archaeological Survey of Ireland.

On the 1838 edition of the OS 6-inch map the motte and bailey is located within a tree plantation on the landscaped demesne lands of Kilmorony House located 280m to the NW. On this six-inch map the motte is shown standing in the centre of a large circular bailey. It is possible that the large circular bailey may be the remains of an earlier prehistoric enclosure that was refortified by the Anglo-Normans in the late 12th or early 13th century. On the revised 25-inch OS 6-inch map the motte is depicted as 'The Mound' with a circular tower indicated on top of the motte which suggests that the motte was landscaped by the owners of Kilmorony House who may have built a summer house on top of the motte in the 18th or 19th century. On this revised map the semi-circular curving field boundary to the W of the motte is indicated. This levelled field boundary which may have been the original enclosing element of the bailey now shows up clearly on the aerial photograph (GB91.EA.06) taken in 1991.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Laois' (Dublin Stationery Office, 1995) compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload/revision: 10 December 2010