Castle - unclassified

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated in undulating pasture on the demesne land of Mosstown Ho. located 250m to the N. The townland of Mosstown Demesne formed part of Ballinkeeny [Ballenkeny] in the medieval period. Ballikenny Castle was depicted as a tower house type castle standing close to the townland boundary with Ballyclogher on the Down Survey map of Killare parish (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of this parish map stated that in 'Clare, Dooneild, Rathskeagh, Killinbrack, Bishopsland Ballikenny on each of them stands a Castle' (ibid.). On this map the castle stood on lands belonging to Thomas Coffy who is listed as an 'Irish papist' (ibid.). The ruins of a castle or tower are shown on Larkin’s 1808 map of Co. Westmeath (NLI, MS 46,580). The castle is depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a rectangular structure with its long axis aligned NE-SW. Shown as a circular structure on the revised 1913 ed. OS 25-inch map. A circular-shaped tower is visible at this location today on Digital Globe aerial photography. Punch dressed stonework from this medieval castle has been reused in the building of a structure standing in the centre of a ringfort (WM024-110----) located 400m to the N. Architectural fragments of this castle includes a punch dressed chamfered stone possibly part of the arch of the doorway into the castle along with a punch-dressed quoin.

Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.

Date of upload: 28 August 2019

References

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.

NLI, MS 46,580 - National Library of Ireland, A map of the county of Westmeath by William Larkin. Dublin.