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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Castle - motte and bailey

Banagher, County Westmeath, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Castle - motte and bailey, Banagher, 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
Banagher
County
Westmeath
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Hachured
Latest-edition OS map
Hachured
Coordinates
53.49921, -7.19134
SMR number
WM027-012----

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 a rise (359ft/109m OD), in pasture, with good views in all directions. Annotated ‘Rathmore Fort’ on the 1837 OS Fair Plan map. Monument described as a raised oval-shaped flat-topped mound (approx. overall dims. 30m N-S; 21m E-W) defined by a scarp. The steep scarp (H 1.5-2.5m) is encircled by a narrow platform or ledge at the base of the mound on all sides except the N, where it is steeper. The top of the mound (dims. at top 21m N-S; 13.3m E-W) is wide and flat with a gentle S-facing slope. No structural features are visible. Visible on Digital Globe aerial photography a substantial oval-shaped earthwork which appears to be on a natural terrace. Adjoining to E of motte (WM027-012----) are the remains of a crescent-shaped enclosure (dims. 32.5m N-S; 25.2m E-W) defined by a low earthen bank NW-N-E-S-SW. This could be the smaller rath referred to by Adams (1960) which was beside ‘the imposing rath known as Rathmore’. Visible on Digital Globe aerial photography as a faint trace of a crescent-shaped earthwork. An old road (WM027-012001-) located c. 15m to N.

See attached profile of monument surveyed and drawn by the ASI.

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

Date of upload: 04 November 2019

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 and bailey in Westmeath All County Westmeath records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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