Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on top of natural rock outcrop in marshy area. Poorly preserved ruins of a rectangular tower with two corner towers surviving at NE and NW angles. Two circular musket loops survive on the S face of the NW tower with a flat headed window surviving on the NE tower. Overall the castle measures externally 12m from tower to tower with an average wall thickness of 0.8m. Impossible to examine due to dense overgrowth. Probable late medieval Tower house. Stronghold of the O' Molloy clan (Cooke 1875, 236; Loeber 1988 vol. 4, 13).

Stronghold of the O' Molloy clan in the territory of Fir Chell (Cooke 1875, 236). Edward O'Molloy, son of Donal O'Molloy, 'late of Ilane Kiltobret' was made a ward of Richard Chichester in 1590 (Pey 2003, 354). In the sixteenth century this area was known as 'Annagh' and the castle would have been known as 'Annagh castle'. In 1621 the town and lands of 'Killananny and Annaghmore' were granted to Sampson Theobalds a servant to Oliver St John, Lord Deputy of Ireland (O'Brien and Sweetman 1997, 140). The Books of Survey and Distribution list Terence Coghlan as owner of these lands in 1641. By 1659 the Census lists John Dow as owner of the lands of 'Killtobired' (Pender 2002, 445). By the end of the 17th centurythe lands of Kiltubbrid were in the ownership of the Atkinson family (CDI Charles II, 598). They had probably received these lands in the early 17th centuryas part of the plantation of this region. In 1837 the OS described Kiltubbrid as 'an island in the centre of a swamp. On its north end it has 2 round towers, the only remains of an old castle. It is on the west side of the largest of the two Muddy Loughs' (Pey 2003, 356). A causeway running for approximately 100 metres connected the island castle to dry land. In 1852 the Drainage Commissioners cut a drainage channel through this causeway (Pey 2003, 355). Located on top of natural rock on Kiltubrid Island surrounded by wet marshy land. Poorly preserved ruins of a rectangular tower with two corner towers surviving at the north-east and north-west angles. Two circular musket loops survive on the south face of the north-west tower with a flat headed window surviving on the north-east tower. Possible wall footings of bawn wall (OF036-014002-) to SW.

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

Pender, S. (ed.) 2002 A census of Ireland circa 1659. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

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.