Castle - motte

The National Monuments Service's description

At the junction of the main Clonmel-Waterford road and Kilsheelan Bridge, on the N bank of the River Suir, guarding the fording point. The manor of Kilsheelan was granted to William de Burgh by Henry II (1154-1189) (Power 1989, 15), therefore it is likely that the motte was erected in the late twelfth century. A compact, pudding-bowl shaped motte (diam. c. 7.7m at crest; H c. 6m), grass-covered and well maintained. It is steepest on the S and W sides, the N and E sectors having slipped. According to Power (1989, 15) there was an accompanying bailey but there is no surviving evidence of this or any enclosing earthwork. The N and W sides of the motte are enclosed by a low stone wall. In 1946 a grotto was inserted in the NW face. An area 8m x 5m and 3.4m deep was excavated out to facilitate its construction. There is also a small hollowed out area (dims. 4.4m N-S; 6.1m E-W; D 1m) on the top of the motte in the SE. (Farrelly and FitzPatrick 1993).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Power, P. C. 1989 History of South Tipperary. Dublin. Mercier Press.

Farrelly, J. and FitzPatrick, E. 1993 Urban archaeological survey - county Tipperary (South Riding) (2 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.