Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on natural rock outcrop (OF030-005002-) on the low-lying floodplains of a nearby river, originally located on a small island known as Castle Island or Lough Coura surrounded by wet marshy land. Little remains of the castle except for a piece of wall fragment and loosely scattered rubble. The building appears to be the remains of a circular tower (approx. int. diam. 4m; wall T 1.2m) with no architectural features visible. To the S of this building there is a lot of loosely piled rubble lying all over the ground surface suggestive of a possible destroyed bawn wall (OF030-005003-). Known locally as Le Porte Castle (ITA Survey 1942). (Cooke 1875, 238; O' Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 10; Loeber 1988, vol 5, 22)

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 23 May 2011

References

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1933 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the King's County collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Bray.

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.' Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).

Loeber, R. 1988 Field notes and references for Co. Offaly Sites. Vol. I-V. Unpublished.

Cooke, T.L. 1875 The early history of the town of Birr. Dublin. Robertson.