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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Castle - motte

Killinagh, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Castle - motte, Killinagh, County Westmeath, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Killinagh
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Fort, Moataphuca
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.65604, -7.61369
SMR number
WM005-002----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on flat reclaimed pasture-land immediately E of a stream which marks the boundary with County Longford, poorly drained land to the N, S & W, with good views of the surrounding countryside. The stream runs around the W side of the monument forming a defensive feature. A circular raised platform (approx. diam. 14m; approx. H 3m) defined by a slight poorly preserved earthen bank, best visible from SW-W-N. Fir trees have been planted on the bank, and it appears that the bank was modified at the time of the tree planting. No trace of an external fosse. At S & SE modern farm buildings encroach on the site. The raised interior slopes slightly towards the centre. Local information suggests that there is a souterrain at this site. A depression in the interior may indicate the location of this feature. According to local tradition there was a hole in the centre of the platform with stone steps or stairs leading down into the hole. At ESE a trench has been cut through the side and upper edge of the platform, in modern times a gateway was erected at its lower end. The depression in the top of the platform may be due to the collapse of a substructure. Classification of this monument is difficult and it is possible that it could be the remains of a raised rath rather than an Anglo-Norman motte castle.

Compiled by: Frank Coyne & Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 13 December 2016

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Castle - motte in Westmeath All County Westmeath records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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