Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

A castle at Rathkenny (15) in Rathkenny as an isolated portion of Navan barony is not marked on the Down Survey (1656-8) barony or parish maps (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/). According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) Hugh Hussey of Galtim owned 444 acres there in 1640 and on the premises was ‘one Castle one Church and a Corne Mill’ (Simington 1940, 227).
The tower house is situated in a col between Simpson’s Mountain that rises c. 90m over it c. 1.2km to the NE and lower hills that rise c. 40-60m over it c. 1-1.3km to the SW, SSE and SE. The headwaters of the S-N Killary Water are c. 70m to the E. The ground floor and its vault are buried, but the E half of three upper storeys (int. dims 4.5m N-S; 2m plus E-W) survive. There is no surviving evidence of a stairs or garderobes but the first floor has a double-splay loop in the N wall and another in the E wall. The E wall is rebated for the second floor, which has a large window in the E wall. The S wall is rebated for the third floor, which has a window in the E wall with a single corbel above it. The stone house (ME012-040001-) is attached to the S, and the site of the parish church of Rathkenny (ME012-041----) is c. 350m to the SSE.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of revision: 13 June 2016

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1940 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. V: county of Meath. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.