What is recorded here

Ashgrove in County Cavan is an 18th-century house built on the buried bones of a 17th-century castle. To the west, a broken bawn wall still stands, its arched recesses and engaged columns waiting for hands that stopped touching them centuries ago. The vaults beneath the floor may still hold the shape of the older building, pressing upward through the new wood and stone.

The current house at Ashgrove is an 18th-century structure. However, Davies (1948a, 113) recorded that this house stands on massive foundations and vaults, which he believed, belonged to an earlier 17th-century castle. In addition, he identified portion of what may have been the former bawn wall at S (T c. 0.6m), 'built with a row of arched recesses flanked by engaged masonry-columns', W of the house. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1995). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 22 December 2008

The castle at Ashgrove was likely built in the 17th century, with the current 18th-century house erected on its foundations. It is remembered for providing evidence of early architectural development in the region.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.