House - fortified house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a slight rise in undulating countryside. Poorly preserved remains of a three storey rectangular block (ext. dims. 20.7m N-S; wall T 1.3m) with only the W half surviving intact with the remains of two circular flanking towers (ext. dims 4.8m; wall T 0.9m) at the NW and SW angles which were connected by the W wall of the central block. The towers are three storeys high and were accessed from the central block. All the floors of the towers were carried on wooden beams and the original wooden lintels above the doors still survive. The external walls of the tower facing away from the building are peppered with musket loops at all levels. Originally there were four flanking towers connected to a rectangular central block. The musket loops and plan of this building would indicate a late 16th/17th-century date probably associated with the 1619 plantation.

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