House - fortified house

The National Monuments Service's description

A castle was being built at Monaghan after 1604 by Sir Edward Blayney using material derived from the Franciscan friary (MO009-060002-). It was described in 1606 by John Davies, the attorney general, as ‘the foundation of a new castle, which being raised ten or twelve feet from the ground, and so left and neglected for the space of two years, is now ready to fall into ruin again.’ It is not represented on the Bartlett map of the town of 1602-03, which was more aspirational than actual. In 1611 the castle is described as ‘a fayre castle buylte at Monaghan on the king’s charge wherein Sr. Edward Blayne nowe dwells, who for making of it more convenient for himself for his owne tyme hath layde out good somes of money of his owne. ‘(Hunter 1975, 81). He is reputed to have spent £1200 on it. A map of the town, probably c. 1611-13 and now held in Trinity College Dublin (Ms 1209 (32)), which was illustrated by Ó Gallachair (1962, 145), shows the castle as a rectangular structure that has large rectangular corner towers and a small enclosed court on its N side in the style of fortified houses. The castle was within a rectangular bawn with a gate at the N and bastions at the NW and SE angles. South of the castle and within its curtilage the map shows gardens and fish ponds. In 1835 the site of this castle was pointed out as being on the Diamond opposite Glasslough St. (Herity 2012, 175) followed by Lewis (1837, 2, 384), but this structure was probably at the N side of the bawn, which would agree with the map of 1611-13. Archaeological excavations (96E0025; 96E0293) in the area to the SW failed to provide any evidence of the castle (Swan 1997a, 1997b).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Monaghan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of revision: 14 December 2017

See attached image of the plan of c. 1611-13 (MO009-060_2a copy) where it is item 'A'

Compiled by: Michael Moore

References

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

Hunter, R.J. 1975 Carews survey of Ulster, 1611: the voluntary works. Ulster Journal of Archaeology Ser. 3, 38, 81-2.

Herity, M. (ed.) 2012 Ordnance Survey Letters: Londonderry, Fermanagh, Armagh-Monaghan, Louth, Cavan-Leitrim. Dublin, Fourmasters Press

Swan, D. L. 1997b Town centre carpark development, Dublin Road, Monaghan. Urban. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 1997: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 90-1, No. 318. Bray, Wordwell

Swan, R. 1997a Dawson Street / Dublin Road, Monaghan. Urban. in I. Bennett (ed.) Excavations 1997: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 90, No. 317. Bray, Wordwell

Ó Gallachair, Rev. P. 1962 The 1641 war in Clogher. Clogher Record, vol. 4, No. 3, 135-47.