Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in the NE sector of the interior of a possible ringfort (OF035-014004-) on a low natural rise in undulating countryside. Poorly preserved remains of a tower house (11.3m N-S; 11.3m E-W; wall T 2m) built of roughly coursed limestone rubble. No architectural features visible due to poor preservation of site. The tower house appears to have utilised the ringfort interior as a possible bailey area. Burned in the year 1642 by the Irish (Cooke 1875, 42-3). The enclosing earthwork may be an earlier ringfort or could be contemporary with the stone castle where it acted as a defensive enclosure supporting a timber palisade acting as a bawn wall.
In 2006, David Sweetman under licence No. 06E0251 undertook pre-development assessment by test-trenching and soil-stripping near Clonoghil Castle, Birr, produced nothing of interest (Bennett 2009, 449).

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.

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 30 December 2011

References

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